Former Trump Cabinet secretary Ryan Zinke won't seek reelection to a Montana US House seat

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BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Ryan Zinke, a Montana Republican who served as interior secretary during President Donald Trump's first administration, said Monday that he will not seek reelection to a fifth term in the U.S. House, citing health concerns.

The decision gives Democrats an outside chance to pick up a House seat this fall in a state that has veered to the right politically over the past decade. Republicans have a narrow 218-214 majority, with three seats vacant ahead of the November midterm elections.

Zinke, 64, a former Navy SEAL from Whitefish, Montana, said in a letter to constituents that he underwent multiple surgeries in recent years and faces more treatment for injuries sustained during more than two decades in the military. He said his condition, which he did not specify, was not life-threatening but required considerable time for recovery.

“My judgement and experience tell me it is better for Montana and America to have full-time representation in Congress than run the risk of uncertain absence and missed votes," he wrote.

After four years in the Montana Legislature, Zinke was elected to the U.S. House in 2014. He was tapped as Trump's interior secretary in 2017 but resigned in 2018 amid numerous ethics investigations. His political career bounced back in 2022 when Zinke narrowly won in a newly created congressional district in western Montana. He won again in 2024 by a comfortable margin.

Several Democrats already had lined up to challenge Zinke in the November election, including former gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse and union organizer Sam Forstag.

“Ryan Zinke quit because he saw what was coming: all of us," Forstag said in a statement, adding that people in western Montana wanted new leadership.

On Monday, Zinke and Montana Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy endorsed conservative talk radio host Aaron Flint, who announced his candidacy in a social media post. Zinke said Flint, a combat veteran, “is the next generation of leadership Montana needs.”

Also joining the race was Flathead County Republican Committee Chairman Al “Doc” Olszewski. The former state senator and surgeon who served in the Air Force came within 2 percentage points of beating Zinke in the 2022 GOP primary. He filed paperwork to run hours after Zinke announced he would not, and told The Associated Press the eventual Republican nominee will need broad appeal to win in November.

“The Democrats have a fair shot at this race,” Olszewski said. “This is not a safe Republican district.”

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte said Zinke was a “champion for Montana,” first as a SEAL and later in politics. Gianforte won a special House election to fill Zinke’s seat after the Republican joined Trump’s Cabinet.

During his time at the Interior Department, Zinke worked to advance Trump's “drill, baby, drill” agenda and to boost oil and gas extraction from government lands.

He also advocated for conservation and last year led efforts to remove the potential sales of public lands from a Republican budget proposal against opposition from some in his party.