Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) announced on Monday that he will not seek re-election in the 2026 midterms.
“It has been my highest honor to serve America and the Great State of Montana. We have secured critical funding for Montana bridges, roads, sewer systems, water infrastructure, public access points, conservation projects, and helped thousands of Montanans successfully navigate through the federal bureaucracy to solve real problems that matter to the people that I am honored to represent,” Zinke said.
“Service is a duty that I will always hold sacred, and I am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference. As for my service and duty going forward, I have made the decision to leave office at the end of my fourth term and not seek re-election,” he added.
It has been my highest honor to serve America and the Great State of Montana. We have secured critical funding for Montana bridges, roads, sewer systems, water infrastructure, public access points, conservation projects, and helped thousands of Montanans successfully navigate… pic.twitter.com/HFuhr6D33v
— Rep Ryan Zinke (@RepRyanZinke) March 2, 2026
The Hill shared further:
Zinke, who has represented Montana in the lower chamber for three non-consecutive terms, wrote in a letter to Montanans that he has “quietly undergone” multiple surgeries since returning to Congress in January 2023 and faces “several more immediately after leaving office.”
Zinke joins over a dozen Republican House lawmakers not seeking re-election, as Democrats are optimistic about their chances of taking control of the lower chamber this November.
While Zinke said his injuries, sustained from a 22-year career as a Navy SEAL, are not life-threatening, his recovery will require him to spend “considerable time” with his wife, Lola Zinke, and their family.
While he said his injuries, sustained from a 22-year career as a Navy SEAL, are not life-threatening, his recovery will require him to spend “considerable time” with his wife, Lola Zinke, and their family.
“Ryan Zinke served Montana and our country with honor and distinction for four decades. From 23 years as a Navy SEAL, where he earned the Bronze Star, to his time in the Montana Senate, as Secretary of Interior in the first Trump administration and in the U.S. House, Ryan Zinke fought for Montana values and worked every day to ensure Montana will always be the ‘last best place,’” Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) said.
“I have known Ryan since we were in high school. We attended Montana Boys State in Dillon together in 1979. He was a Whitefish Bulldog and I was a Bozeman Hawk. His desire to serve his country was evident back then. Cindy and I thank both he and Lola for their service to our state and our nation and wish him all the best in his retirement,” he continued.
Ryan Zinke served Montana and our country with honor and distinction for four decades. From 23 years as a Navy SEAL, where he earned the Bronze Star, to his time in the Montana Senate, as Secretary of Interior in the first Trump administration and in the U.S. House, Ryan Zinke… https://t.co/OPSM0jS1TN
— Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) March 2, 2026
More from Montana Free Press:
Shortly after Zinke announced his retirement, talk radio personality Aaron Flint posted a dramatic campaign video on X, highlighting his role as a radio personality, family man and veteran, while invoking Donald Trump. He also issued a press release stating that he had been endorsed by Zinke, Gov. Greg Gianforte, Senator Tim Sheehy and other Republican officials. The listed contact for Flint’s campaign was Zinke’s chief of staff, Heather Swift.
Flint, who hosts a three-hour, conservative statewide morning radio show from Billings, staffed Zinke’s office as an employee of the U.S. House Clerk for more than three months in 2017 after the representative resigned his at-large Montana district to become Interior secretary. Flint held the position until Gianforte was elected to replace Zinke in the 2017 special election.
Former congressional candidate Dr. Al Olszewski told Montana Free Press that he was filing to run as a Republican in the western district. Olszewski, a former Kalispell state senator, said he had been watching candidate filings to see if Zinke would run. He said that he suspected Zinke wouldn’t.
Zinke defeated Olszewski in the 2022 primary. The race was so close that it took a few days to confirm the outcome.
Four Democrats — Ryan Busse, Russ Cleveland, Sam Forstag and Matt Rains — have announced their intentions to run in the primary in the Western District. Zinke won the seat by 4 percentage points against Democrat Monica Tranel in 2022, and then 7.6 points in 2024 as an incumbent against Tranel again.