Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., will win re-election in Montana’s 1st Congressional District, defeating Democratic candidate Monica Tranel, The Associated Press reports.
With 95% of the vote reported as of Wednesday morning, Zinke led with 52% of the vote, compared to Tranel’s 45%, which is on track to expand on his margin of victory in 2022.
Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, is a fifth-generation Montanan who served 23 years in the military before entering politics to complete another mission of “upholding the Constitution and doing what is right for Montana and America.”
Zinke served as Secretary of the Interior under former President Donald Trump for several years before launching a successful bid for Montana’s newly drawn district in the 2022 midterms.Â
The race was rated Lean Republican in the Fox News Power Rankings.
The Democratic nominee in the race, Tranel, worked as an attorney, previously competed in two Olympics, and won a World Championship Gold for the U.S. Women’s Rowing Team.
The race was a rematch of the 2022 midterms, in which Zinke defeated Tranel in the race for the Big Sky State seat by 49% to 46%.
