With President Trump coming to Bozeman this Friday, August 9th, for a rally with Senate hopeful Tim Sheehy and current United States Representative Ryan Zinke, Montana has suddenly become a focal point in national politics.
Following Trump’s rally, Zinke will hold a rally with Ohioan Congressman and Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Jim Jordan. This will take place in Kalispell on Saturday, August 10th at 3:00pm.
On Monday, August 12, Zinke will be appearing alongside House Majority Leader Steve Scalise for an event in Bozeman.
Most notably, on Friday, August 16th, Zinke will host yet another rally, this time with Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, in Billings. Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, replaced Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House last year after eight House Republicans, including Montana’s Matt Rosendale, joined Democrats to oust him.
Billings is an interesting location choice for Rep. Zinke, as it sits far outside of his congressional district in the Western part of the state. Billings, however, is the most populated city in Montana, and the seat of Yellowstone County, the most populated county in Montana. It appears that Republicans are coalescing around winning Montana outright. Zinke’s rally in Billings could be in part an effort to help drum up support for Tim Sheehy or Troy Downing, candidate for Montana’s 2nd Congressional District.
Zinke’s choice to campaign across the state, including outside of his district, is perhaps a sign of the importance of Montana to the scene of national politics. Both parties seem to be throwing everything they have at winning federal elections in Montana, with the U.S. Senate majority likely being decided here. The U.S. House of Representatives majority could also still go either way, and Zinke’s seat is not considered safe.
Zinke faces up against Monice Tranel once again in November for Montana’s 1st Congressional District, after beating her by a relatively small margin of 3 points in 2022. Troy Downing should have a more comfortable race, as he is aiming to succeed Matt Rosendale, who won the seat by 35 points in 2022. The Senate Race in Montana is neck and neck, with all polls having the margins between the candidates within the margin of error.
The time and location of the Billings rally are still TBD, but if interested in attending you can register HERE.
