MISSOULA — It's election day in Montana with federal, state, county and local races all up for grabs.
The winners from Tuesday’s Montana Primary will advance to the general election in November.
One of the races is in our backyard — the U.S. House of Representatives District 1 seat — also known as the Western District.
Following the most recent census, Montana was given a second seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, resulting in western and eastern districts.
There are a total of five candidates running for the seat that will represent District 1 which covers Missoula, Bozeman, Kalispell and Butte. This is a two-year term.
On the Republican side, incumbent Ryan Zinke is running against Mary Todd. Zinke says he was born in Bozeman and raised in Whitefish on a property where his family has lived for four generations. He is also a retired U.S. Navy SEAL commander. Zinke served as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of the Interior from 2017 to 2018.
Mary Todd is a Kalispell business owner and a pastor at Purpose Church Kalispell. She was born in Pomona, California, and says she has lived in Kalispell full-time since 2009. Todd became a public figure after the death of her son Shane, who Todd says was murdered in Singapore in 2012.
Tuesday night’s winner advances to the November General Election.
Monica Tranel is running uncontested on the Democratic side. She ran against incumbent Ryan Zinke in 2022 and lost by 3%. Tranel is a Missoula-based attorney who specializes in utility and energy issues. She says she was born in Wyoming and grew up in Miles City, Ashland, Broadview and Billings. She also competed as a rower in the Summer Olympics.
The two Libertarians are running for US House District 1 are Dennis Hayes, a Townsend resident and Ernie Noble a Bozeman resident. One will advance to the general election.
Voters must return their ballots by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 4.
