Zinke announces campaign for U.S. House

Whitefish resident and former state Sen. Ryan Zinke officially announced Monday his campaign for Montana’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The retired Navy SEAL commander launched an exploratory committee last week, which garnered favorable polling, he said.

“I wanted to see if I had the support to run, and it’s clear that I do,” Zinke, a Republican, said. “We raised $250,000 in commitments in less than a week.”

He said his strength will be with “veterans and people who care about the country.”

Zinke, 51, joins two other Republican candidates: former state Sen. Corey Stapleton of Billings and state Sen. Matt Rosendale of Glendive.

Current Rep. Steve Daines is expected to run for Senate in 2014.

From a press conference in Billings on Monday, Zinke said his campaign will be about unity, freedom and American exceptionalism.

He said there is a “crisis of trust” happening today in America that needs to be addressed.

“As a 23-year veteran of the Navy SEALs, I can attest that as a nation it’s inconceivable that we lose trust in our government,” he said. “How do we restore faith in our government?”

Zinke spoke about unifying behind “American values” and fighting for economic freedom.

“We need more jobs and less government handouts,” he said. “It’s about being more independent and not relying on your government.”

He emphasized the need to become energy independent.

“We should and can be energy independent in five years,” Zinke said. “It’s going to take infrastructure. It’s going to take pipelines, roads and sewer systems in Sidney.”

Zinke said decisions that impact Montanans should be made at the local level.

“We don’t need Washington to tell us in Montana how to manage our wildlife, how to use our water, and how to develop our natural resources,” he said.

He also spoke about protecting the right to bear arms and concerns about National Security Agency surveillance.

Raised in Whitefish, Zinke served as a U.S. Navy SEAL from 1985 to 2008 and retired as a commander. He served four years in the Montana Senate beginning in 2008 representing Whitefish.

In 2011 he unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate Neil Livingstone.

A video of the announcement was posted on his website, www.ryanzinke.com.