Montana has the distinction of being the first state to lose a U.S. House of Representatives seat (back in 1992) and then regain it. Based on 2020 Census data, Montana’s population grew 9.6% over the past decade to cross the million benchmark, earning the state a new 2nd congressional district.
The former at-large district now represented by Trump lackey Matt Rosendale (R) must now be split in two. Overseeing the drawing of a new state legislative line is Montana’s Districting and Apportionment Commission, an independent five-member panel comprised of two Democrats, two Republicans, and a neutral commission chair, whose task is to equally divide Montana’s population on either side of that line without advantage to any political party.
Several candidates have announced their bids for the new seat, and some — like scandal-plagued former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke — are already campaigning.
Yep, that Ryan Zinke: one of the most corrupt and biggest grifters of TFG’s Cabinet.
When I heard Zinke was throwing his very, very large cowboy hat into the ring, I vowed to do everything in my power as a Montana citizen to keep him out of state and national elected office. There is a real chance the new seat could be competitive for Democrats, depending how boundaries are drawn. But there will be headwinds given TFG—who sees himself as kingmaker—has already endorsed Zinke.
I want Montana voters to be informed about candidate Zinke. He doesn’t represent the values or interests of Montanans, many of whom are independents or libertarians with a purple streak. Think ‘Montana Man’ or ‘Plaid Shirt Guy’ — or consider that Montanans will elect Democratic governors and U.S. senators (2020 being a notable exception).
Hinky Zinke has faced at least 18 investigations into his sketchy actions at the Interior Department. Here are just some of the more egregious controversies, grifts, and environmental assaults wrought by Zinke during his less-than-two-year tenure as TFG’s Interior Secretary before resigning in 2018 under a cloud of ethics inquiries:
- Zinke was suggested as Secretary of the Interior to TFG by none other than that arbiter of dubious judgment, Donald Trump Jr.
- On his first day in office, Zinke rescinded the ban on lead bullets and lead fishing tackle in National Wildlife Refuges to the cheers of the NRA, sportsmen’s groups, and conservatives.
- Zinke recommended that Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Gold Butte, and Cascade-Siskiyou National Monuments be drastically scaled down in size.
- The New York Times won a court case with Zinke’s Interior Dept. and got 25,000 documents, of which 4,500 were related to Zinke’s monuments review. The documents revealed the administration’s intent to increase coal, oil, and gas mining access on monument lands.
- Zinke's expenditures as Secretary of the Interior, including expensive chartered flights, reinforced office doors, security details, and use of government helicopters generated ethical questions and Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigations under the Hatch Act.
- DC lawmakers from both parties in the mainland U.S. and Puerto Rico called for an investigation into how a tiny company, Whitefish Energy from Zinke’s hometown, landed a $300 million dollar contract to repair and restore Puerto Rico’s power after Hurricane Maria.
- Zinke came under OIG investigation for his involvement in reviewing a tribal casino project in Connecticut. He allegedly refused to sign off on the casino project after intense lobbying by MGM Resorts International and Nevada Republican lawmakers. The casino probe was stalled by former Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, thereby catching & killing the OIG report.
- Despite opposition by a bipartisan group of 17 former Interior Department officials, Zinke adopted an alarming and contrary interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, issuing guidance that the killing of birds “resulting from an activity is not prohibited by the MBTA when the underlying purpose of that activity is not to take birds.” Oh bummer, it wasn’t our purpose to kill those hundreds of ducks that landed in our toxic bitumen tailing ponds!
- Zinke upended a 2015 plan to protect the Greater Sage-grouse in 10 western states by changing management plans to open its habitat to mineral extraction and grazing.
- Zinke called for slashing 4,000 jobs from the Interior Department and 13.4% of its budget. He also ordered 50 senior staff to be reassigned to obscure jobs and new locations. Zinke’s moves prompted the Interior’s OIG to launch another probe.
- Zinke’s 2019 proposed budget called for cutting the Land and Water Conservation Fund from $425 million in 2018 to $8 million.
- In the wake of tragic wildfires in 2018, Zinke blamed “environmental terrorist groups” for the fires ravaging California, and that they had “nothing to do with climate change.”
- And still hovering around Zinke like a toxic cloud is the “Montana land deal” — a development project in his hometown of Whitefish, MT backed by David J. Lesar, the chairman of the energy services giant Haliburton Co., in which Zinke and his wife stand to benefit financially.
It’s interesting to note that Zinke stepped down after a surprise presidential tweet announced his departure. Washington insiders said Zinke was asked to leave TFG’s Cabinet by the end of 2018, anticipating more intense scrutiny of Zinke’s activities by a Democratic-majority Congress. Senate Minority Leader Schumer bade Zinke a not-so-fond, “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” adieu.
The thing that offends me most about Zinke is he thinks of himself as a modern incarnation of Theodore Roosevelt, riding a horse to work his first day on the job in Washington DC and touting himself as TR’s “unapologetic admirer and disciple.” But Zinke is no Teddy Roosevelt. He’s the anti-TR — opening up millions of acres of public land for oil and gas leases, gutting decades-old environmental laws intended to protect birds, and showing favoritism to donors, lobbyists, and big industry sharing TFG’s deregulation agenda. I’m not sure Montanans will give him a pass for his abysmal record at Interior.
“He sold himself as a Theodore Roosevelt Republican. That means wise use,” said Land Tawney, president of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, a national conservation group headquartered in Montana. “More and more sportsmen are waking up to what’s going on.” ~ Mother Jones, Oct. 31, 2018
Montana Democratic Party’s former executive director Sandi Luckey really hit the mark with this statement issued in late April when Zinke announced his candidacy for Montana’s 2nd congressional district:
“Ryan Zinke’s clownish corruption was so bad that he got fired by Donald Trump. He embarrassed Montana by gutting public lands in order to reward his special interest allies. Montanans will reject his latest bid to climb the political ladder in favor of a responsible Democratic leader who puts our values ahead of the lobbyists who packed Zinke’s offices in Washington D.C.”
Thus far, Zinke has just one primary challenger for the new seat, former state Senator Al Olszewski of Kalispell, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2020. If it’s even possible, Oszewski is even trumpier than Zinke or Rosendale, and has yet to get traction in statewide races.
On the Democratic side, three women have announced their candidacies for Montana’s new congressional seat: Monica Tranel from Missoula, a former Olympic rower and attorney for the Public Service Commission; Cora Neumann from Bozeman, a public health expert and nonprofit executive; and Laurie Bishop from Livingston, current State Representative for HD-60.
Here’s hoping Montana’s new congressional district will give Democrats a competitive chance to reclaim our state’s “purple” heritage.
Meanwhile, if Merrick Garland wants to reopen criminal investigations into Zinke that were quietly snuffed by Billy Barr’s Justice Department, please proceed.