DCCC names Tranel in first round of 'Red to Blue' candidates

While Montana’s U.S. Senate race is already garnering significant national attention, the contest for the western congressional district isn’t going to be left out in the cold.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which works to get party members elected to the U.S. House, announced Monday it is including Monica Tranel in its first round of the “Red to Blue” program. Tranel is the only Democrat who has announced for the race and looks to be headed for a rematch with incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke.

In 2022, Tranel lost to Zinke by 4% in the first contest for the newly created district. She didn’t benefit from this type of national backing in that race. The Red to Blue program connects candidates with fundraising, strategic and organizational support, as well as staff resources and candidate training.

“Monica Tranel is a champion for working families in Montana, saving taxpayers millions of dollars by standing up to price-gouging corporations and special interests,” DCCC Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene said in a press release. “Montana families know Monica understands what matters most to them and that she’ll deliver for them in Congress. There’s no better candidate to take on corrupt D.C. politician Ryan Zinke and flip this seat blue in November.”

In a statement provided to the Montana State News Bureau, Tranel still highlighted the amount of her fundraising that comes from Montana. That was also a theme in her 2022 bid.

"Over 70% of contributions to our campaign are from Montanans. In contrast, only 11% of Zinke’s contributions come from Montana,” Tranel said. “Montanans are ready for a representative who will work for us and get things done in Congress.”

“I live and work in Montana and am raising my family here. I know Montana. I’ve put thousands of miles on my minivan traveling around the district listening to Montanans' concerns and joys. Montanans know they have a champion in me for the challenges we face in our district: housing, child care, health care, being stewards of our forests and public lands, and education. Montanans are tired of the chaos and know I will represent our community.”

In 2022, the Montana House race was close enough that it couldn't be called until results from Lincoln County were finally tallied following a delay caused by a printing error that necessitated a hand count.

In 2018 election cycle, Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester won the western district by more than 10 points, and Democrat Kathleen Williams, running for what was then the state's sole U.S. House seat, also won the district by 3%. Democrats are banking on Tester's name on the ballot boosting turnout this November, helping down-ballot candidates.

Republicans took back control of the House in the 2022 election, while Democrats maintained their narrow majority in the Senate. Montana will play a major role in the fight for control in the upper chamber, as incumbent Tester is seeking re-election to a seat national Republicans have identified as a priority to flip. Montana voters have turned increasingly red in recent years, with every statewide GOP candidate on the ballot winning by a landslide in 2020, leaving Tester the lone remaining statewide Democrat.

Republican Tim Sheehy, a Bozeman CEO of an aerial firefighting company, was picked by the National Republican Senatorial Committee to run against Tester, but Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale is expected to enter the GOP’s primary race soon.

Final fundraising reports following the 2022 race show Zinke outraised Tranel by a 2-to-1 margin, with Zinke bringing in $6.6 million to Tranel's $3 million. Zinke benefitted from $1.1 million from political action committees and other types of committees, while Tranel only saw $89,000 in contributions from those types of groups. Tranel has already raised $1.2 million in this year's race.

Tranel, who lives in Missoula, grew up on a ranch in eastern Montana and was an Olympic rower. She later was a staff attorney for the Public Service Commission and worked on the state's Consumer Counsel, and now runs the Tranel Law Firm, which works on clean energy, water and property rights and regulatory issues.