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<h2>Ryan Zinke tried to use his power as Interior Secretary to sell off Montana open space for his own financial gain.</h2>

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MONICA TRANEL FOR CONGRESS

US Representative Sharice Davids, member of the Ho-Chunk Nation

Montana State Representative Dave Fern (HD 5)

Montana State Representative Frank Smith (HD 31)

Montana State Representative Emma Kerr-Carpenter (HD 49)

Montana State Representative Ed Stafman (HD 62)

Montana State Representative Eric Matthews (HD 66)

Montana State Representative Jennifer Lynch (HD 73)

Montana State Representative Laura Smith (HD 79)

Montana State Representative Jill Cohenour (HD 84)

Montana State Representative Katie Sullivan (HD 89)

Montana State Representative Marilyn Marler (HD 90)

Montana State Representative Connie Keogh (HD 91)

Montana State Representative Tom France (HD 94)

Montana State Representative Jonathan Karlen (HD 96)

Montana State Representative Bob Carter (HD 98)

Montana State Representative Mark Thane (HD 99)

Montana State Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers (SD 32)

Montana State Senator Susan Webber (SD 8)

Montana State Senator Mike Fox (SD 16)

Montana State Senator Ryan Lynch (SD 37)

Montana State Senator Edie McClafferty (SD 38)

Montana State Senator Mary Ann Dunwell (SD 42)

Montana State Senator Shannon O’Brien (SD 46)

Montana State Representative Donovan Hawk (HD76)

Missoula County Commissioner Josh Slotnik

Missoula County Commissioner Juanita Vero

Gallatin County Commissioner Zach Brown

Missoula City Councilor Amber Sherill

Missoula City Councilor Gwen Jones

CSKT Tribal Council Vice Chair Thomas McDonald

CSKT Tribal Council Member Carole Lankford

CSKT Tribal Council Member and Treasurer James Steele

Elected Officials

Former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer

Former Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau

Former Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Nancy Keenan

Former President of the Montana State Senate Fred Van Valkenburg

Former Montana State Senate Minority Leader Steve Doherty

Former Montana State Senator Diane Sands

Former Montana State Senator Dick Barrett

Former Montana State Senator Bryce Bennett

Former Montana State Senator Dan Weinberg

Former Montana State Representative Mike Jopek

Former Missoula Mayor Mike Kadas

Former Elected Leaders

Helen Weems

Judith Heilman

Evan Barrett

Dayna Swanson

Al Smith

Mary Stranahan

Shane Doyle

Lucy Beighle

Amy Cilimburg

Jim Messina

Martha Newell

Terryl Matt

Jeff Smith

Melodee Hanes

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United Rural Democrats&nbsp;

Elect Democratic Women

Montana Federation of Public Employees

Voter Protection Project

EMILY's List

League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Action Fund

Square One

NewDem Action Fund

Reproductive Freedom For All

American Association of Justice PAC

Tri-State Maxed Out Women PAC

National Organization for Women PAC

American College of Emergency Physicians PAC

Planned Parenthood Action Fund

American Society of Anesthesiologists PAC

American Federation of Government Employees

Jewish Democratic Council of America

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Northern Rockies Central Labor Council&nbsp;

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Ryan Zinke Repeatedly Voted to Ban Abortion Here in Montana.

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<h2>Now, Ryan Zinke is buying up properties across Montana and jacking up the rent.</h2><h2>He’s renting one of his properties for $16,000 a month on AirBnB!</h2><h2>Housing profiteers like Ryan Zinke are the reason it’s so expensive to live in Montana.</h2><h2>Monica Tranel will work to stop it.</h2>

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<h4>Monica Tranel was raised with her nine brothers and sisters on a ranch in eastern Montana, and she always had a job to do: feeding pigs, stacking hay, fixing fences.</h4>The strong work ethic Monica learned on the ranch led her to become a world-class rower, competing in two Olympics and winning a World Championship Gold for the United States Women’s Rowing Team - the first U.S. Women’s eight to win gold at 2000 meters.Monica worked her way through college and law school. Her career has been in Montana, working for local business owners, working families, and Montana ranchers.<h4>As an attorney, she has taken on out-of-state billionaires and corporate monopolies to stop them from ripping off Montanans.</h4>Monica took Northwestern all the way to the state supreme court, and won, saving rate payers $10 million dollars. She stopped a New York Hedge fund from cheating Montana small businesses, and beat out-of-state corporation’s attempts to steal land from local ranchers.Corporations buy politicians like Ryan Zinke to drive up their profits, and hardworking Montanans are paying for it. We can bring rising costs down by cleaning up Congress.<h4>Monica will hold those who want to profit off the backs of everyday Montanans accountable so we can focus on bringing down costs for everyone.</h4>She will work to create an economic environment where our local and small businesses can thrive, and provide good paying jobs to folks who want to build families here and contribute to our economy year-round. Montana has some of the best and most unique natural resources in the world, and can lead the energy transition by developing our tremendous potential.<h4>We need a leader for the people of Montana - no more rotten politicians who make the whole barrel bad just by being in it.</h4>Monica Tranel continues her statewide practice, serving the people of Montana, and enjoys Montana’s outdoor spaces with her husband and three daughters.

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<h2>As Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke tried to cash in by selling off Montana’s land to international developers.</h2>

<h2>China is buying up our land and cheating our ranchers, and Ryan Zinke is letting them do it.</h2>

<h3>Donate now to elect Monica to Congress.</h3>

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MONICA TRANEL ON THE ISSUES

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MEET MONICA

Ryan Zinke Sold Out Montana

- Monica Tranel Candidate for Congress

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We also need to address housing supply, and make sure that small businesses are able to hire workers who can afford to live in Montana. While we need to address this issue by paying our teachers and those who work in our communities a decent wage, we also need to recognize that for small businesses and lumber mills that are paying good wages, more needs to be done on the supply side. We need to update our housing policy to align with 21st century reality. That means addressing price gouging and monopolistic behavior, creating incentives for our communities to build more housing, and prioritizing our seniors.<ol><li>Partner With Public And Private Groups Across All Government LevelsThe federal government should work with local and county governments as well as small businesses and private investors to advance innovative ideas that are already helping to lower the cost of housing.<ol><li>Community Land Trusts (CLTs) - Whitefish, Missoula, and Bozeman have implemented community land trust programs where the land is owned by the city or county, and the house is owned by a resident. CLTs are good options where the land is a significant cost of building, as in Ravalli County, where a new lot is the same cost as building a house.</li><li>Remove the <a href="https://fas.org/publication/exempt-affordable-housing-from-volume-caps/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">State Volume Cap</a> for Private Activity Bonds - Tax-exempt Private Activity Bonds (PABs) are an important financial tool that helps create more affordable housing. By capping these bonds, the federal government is limiting the supply of more housing. We can help spur more housing construction by exempting affordable housing from the state volume cap.</li><li>Zoning and Infrastructure - One issue that the federal government can’t solve is the zoning issues that exist in various municipalities, impacting their ability to build certain types of homes. We can, however, align current policies around transportation, water, sewer, and other infrastructure and investments with housing production to incentivize local communities to modernize their zoning regulations.<ol><li>Allowing accessory Dwelling Units to be built.</li><li>Addressing parking issues.</li><li>Limiting impact fees and other charges cities bring on developers.</li><li>Addressing unreasonable burdens on the construction of housing.</li></ol></li><li>Community Development Block Grants and Community Navigators - Community Development Block Grants (<a href="https://fas.org/publication/cdbg-reconstruction-and-zoning/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CDBG</a>) have helped counties like Missoula receive direct federal funding. Congress can fund CDBGs and community navigators that will work with municipal governments, builders, landlords, and tenants to finetune local regulations to enable more housing to be built and serve as an advocate to help communities utilize federal housing resources.</li></ol></li><li>Finance and Fund HousingWe are at our best when we are proactively and innovatively addressing the challenges we face. The Federal Government is uniquely positioned to incentivize more construction. We can develop federal incentive structures that promote the construction of higher-density housing or multi-family housing in high-demand metropolitan regions and promote housing innovation, including in building materials and methods, to reduce the financial and environmental costs of building new housing.<ol><li>First time home buyer opportunities - In Montana the average mortgage rate is over 7%. These interest rates deter first time home buyers in Montana. We can offset interest rates with an expanded first-time homebuyer tax credit for Montanans who qualify. For our first responders, nurses, teachers, and others who serve our community we can do more to make sure they can afford to live in our communities. </li><li>For Montanans that have Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages, we can reduce insurance premiums.</li><li>A federal affordable housing fund can bring more supply onto the market, and we can further incentivize this construction to include both affordable rentals and affordable home sales. This new fund can also be used to upgrade existing properties to bring them onto the market, further expanding supply of housing. </li></ol></li><li>Fully Utilize the Fair Housing Act and HUDIf you’re an electrician or carpenter, a teacher, a nurse, work in law enforcement, and so many other jobs that serve our community, your salary is most likely below that, but not far enough below that level to qualify for assistance. Add in the rapidly increasing price of homes in our state, and we have a situation where people that need assistance aren’t eligible for the programs designed to help.<ol><li>Area Median Income (AMI) is a statistic used by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to determine rent prices and income limits for affordable units. In Missoula the AMI for a family of four is $80,200, in Bozeman it’s $104,700. We should direct the HUD to update the AMI calculation so it is more flexible to local prices and incomes.</li><li>Congress should also ensure that the Fair Housing Act is implemented as it was written, as HUD Secretary George Romney called for fifty years ago.</li></ol></li><li>Help Small Businesses Hire WorkersPyramid Mountain Lumber in Seeley Lake, recently announced its closure due to the barriers they face finding employees who can afford to live in the area. Like the owners of Pyramid Mountain, far too many small business owners I have talked with can not find workers because of the sky rocking cost of housing.<ol><li>We need to <a href="https://fas.org/publication/create-an-fha-va-mortgage-program-for-developers/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">incentivize work force and small business</a> housing development by federally guaranteeing mortgage and construction programs designed for small businesses and developers doing small scale construction projects to expand the supply of housing in our communities.</li><li>Western Montana is uniquely suited to use existing lumber and local saw mills to address the housing supply issue. We should also <a href="https://fas.org/publication/update-building-codes-to-use-mass-timber/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">update building codes to use mass timber</a>:<ol><li>Support and utilize local sawmills</li><li>Incentivize – fuel reduction in local forests</li><li>Continue mill production</li><li>Use of local materials to help address the housing crisis</li></ol></li></ol></li></ol>

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II.	ACCOUNTABILITY – Follow the Money

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Pyramid Mountain Lumber is closing. Sheriff deputies are living in campers. Teachers share rooms in houses. Seniors can't find nursing homes – they have nowhere to go.&nbsp; Families in trailer parks are being evicted from the only homes they’ve known. Each of these stories is due to the lack of housing in our state that is affecting hard working Montanans everywhere.&nbsp; Meanwhile, <a href="https://headwaterseconomics.org/apps/economic-profile-system/30073+30035+30029+30053+30089+30047+30063+30061+30077+30039+30081+30001+30023+30093+30057+30031" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">nearly half</a> the houses in Granite and Madison county are vacant. Whitefish has at least 15% of its housing used as short-term rentals. Montana’s families are being priced out of Montana. The median price for a house in Gallatin County is $<a href="https://www.redfin.com/county/1730/MT/Gallatin-County/housing-market" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">725k</a>, in Flathead County it’s <a href="https://www.redfin.com/county/1730/MT/Gallatin-County/housing-market" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$630k</a>. That doesn’t work when you’re a teacher making <a href="https://www.nea.org/resource-library/educator-pay-and-student-spending-how-does-your-state-rank" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">$35k a year</a>. Our small business owners, lumber mills, and schools can’t find employees and our workers – electricians, teachers, firefighters, nurses, carpenters, and sheriff deputies – can’t find a place to live. Even when small businesses pay good wages and include insurance, and workers make good money - $25/hour and up to $80,000 a year – people either can’t even find a place that is available, or what is available is unaffordable.&nbsp; The growth that our state has experienced over the last few years is unprecedented. While city and county officials are grappling with implementing real solutions, working with public and private housing groups, our elected representatives in Helena and Washington have put the interests of wealthy out-of-state corporations and the profits of hedge funds first, while forcing working Montanans to pay the price.

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<h2>Ryan Zinke is bankrolled by a Chinese Ag conglomerate that is buying up American farmland, and he voted to help China rip off our ranchers.</h2><h2>We need to send a message to Ryan Zinke and China that Montana is not for sale.</h2>

<h2>Ryan Zinke would make a fortune, while Montanans pay more for housing.</h2>

Click here to read Monica Tranel's full, detailed housing plan for Montana

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<h2>Ryan Zinke pushed to let politicians ban abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest or to save a woman’s life. </h2><h2>Private medical decisions should be made by women and their health care providers, not Ryan Zinke.</h2>

Ryan Zinke Tried to Cash In

III.	AFFORDABILITY – Loosen the supply

Good policy depends on good information. I have gathered information through listening to Montanans, including public and private interest groups, and those who have been marginalized. I commit to continuing listening, and will govern as I am campaigning, by listening first.&nbsp;<ol><li>To start, we need to <a href="https://fas.org/publication/bps-building-permits-software-tool/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">update the data</a> on permitting for an accurate assessment of supply and demand. The U.S. Census Bureau should develop a uniform software tool for building permit data that would make the U.S. Census Bureau’s Building Permit Survey (BPS) more reliable and consistent across the country. Local leaders need to know how changes in land-use reform are affecting the housing market and a unified database would help state and local governments identify which reforms are working and which are not.</li></ol>We must also ensure that housing data is easily accessible and available for all private and public actors. In Madison and Granite counties, almost half of existing homes are <a href="https://headwaterseconomics.org/apps/economic-profile-system/30073+30035+30029+30053+30089+30047+30063+30061+30077+30039+30081+30001+30023+30093+30057+30031" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">listed as vacant</a>, meaning that they are seasonal homes that sit empty for most of the year, but are not listed for sale.

Houses must be treated as homes where people who live in a community go to sleep and eat and play, not as investment vehicles for foreign and out-of-state profiteers to turn a fast buck. Out-of-state hedge funds, land speculators, and corporate landlords have made housing more expensive in Montana, and it's time we hold them accountable for their actions. Everyone needs to play by the rules, and be held accountable if they don’t.<ol><li>Ban Hedge Funds from Buying Homes and Crack Down on Land Speculators and Foreign Investors We need to eliminate the incentives that push private equity firms into buying nursing homes and mobile home parks and sucking the money out of them or razing them to the ground and selling off lots at high prices.<ol><li>Congress should structure our tax code to discourage corporate ownership of multiple homes or housing units that are held as investment vehicles rather than as homes for people who live and work in our communities. We must level the playing field for working people and make sure everyone plays by the rules. </li><li>We also need to clamp down on foreign <a href="https://www.tester.senate.gov/newsroom/news-coverage/bloomberg-montana-senator-calls-for-ban-on-chinese-land-purchases-following-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">adversaries</a> buying up farmland and water rights in Montana. This not only takes land away from prospective Montana land owners, but also increases concerns around our national security.</li></ol></li><li>Stop Corporate Landlords From Price Gouging MontanansFrom hidden junk fees to collusion around when and how much to hike up rents, corporate landlords have gouged Montanans on rent for too long. These practices are pricing Montanans out of the communities they call home, and it's time we regulated this.<ol><li>Currently, it’s too easy for corporate landlords to collude in setting high rents, whether by using algorithms that alters pricing unilaterally in a market, or by setting rent at levels designed to maximize profit driving up rent for everyone at the same time. By using an algorithm to set pricing, corporate landlords are able to create a monopoly environment, without creating the perception that there is monopoly. These algorithms collect real time market information, and offer suggestions to corporate landlords on when, and how to raise rents, based on other market information. Coordination of information regarding pricing and supply of housing needs to be addressed. </li><li>Renters in Montana are also faced with increasing application fees. Not only are these fees opaque in what they are actually covering, they’re constantly increasing with no obvious benefit. With the current market, renters are paying multiple application fees just to be told they aren’t allowed to live somewhere. This adds up. Streamlining and lowering barriers to entry into housing is a necessary step.</li></ol></li><li>Protect Our Mobile Home OwnersPeople living in trailer parks from Columbia Falls to Bozeman are getting short notice eviction letters, meaning they have to move out of the place they’ve called home for years, or decades – with no time to figure out where they’ll go, what will happen to their kids in school, and how their jobs will be affected. This is a result of private equity entities deciding they’ll change the rules, without notice or participation from the people who live in these trailer parks, to make more money. <ol><li>Trailers and other manufactured homes are an important piece of the housing picture that is critical to growing the supply of housing in our state. As the primary regulator of manufactured homes, the federal government is tasked with protecting mobile home owners. One small step is to remove the <a href="https://fas.org/publication/manufactured-home-chassis-requirement/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">permanent chassis requirement</a> for manufactured homes. </li><li>Congress should also reduce regulatory barriers that limit the construction of new <a href="https://www.slowboring.com/p/how-to-unleash-a-trailer-home-boom?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">manufactured homes</a>.</li></ol></li><li>Care for our SeniorsOur seniors in western Montana are telling me they have nowhere to go as they get older. They’ve spent their entire lives in a community and now they’re forced to move, even out of state, because they either can’t afford a bed in a nursing home, or there are none to be found. We need to make sure our elders remain in our communities, the place they call home, and the home that needs their wisdom and experience.<ol><li>One way we can do this is by requiring Medicare and Medicaid to provide adequate reimbursement for long term care. Our seniors have spent their lives paying into these programs, and we need to make sure they’re able to use them for what they need. </li><li>We also need to hold nursing homeowners accountable for quality. Any entities getting Medicare or Medicaid funding should be held to high standards of care for seniors to ensure that residents have high-quality and safe places to live. </li><li>Congress needs to incentivize the building of more Senior Care homes through tax credits, community grants, and more.</li></ol></li><li>Take Stock– own our past, move forward togetherIn 1887, two years before Montana became a state, Congress passed the Dawes Act, that became the General Allotment Act, making much of Native American Tribal land that had been reserved to the tribes available for private ownership. Today, tribes are working to purchase the land within the boundaries of their reserved lands. The federal government can partner with the Tribes to facilitate this process. Recognizing, owning, and honoring our past will allow us to face the future together.</li></ol>

<h2>Monica Tranel has been driving her minivan across the entire state of Montana, meeting voters in their own hometowns to hear their concerns.</h2><img src="https://run.imgix.net/c3e14104-273d-4723-a9f8-ce90528951b5/872b9167-a9f4-4146-92dd-1355841c7f6a/872b9167-a9f4-4146-92dd-1355841c7f6a.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1200%2C300&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="Miles and counting..." align="center" alignwidth="25" variant="base">Miles and counting...<h3>Click on any of the Green Bubbles on the map below to see upcoming &amp; past events!</h3>

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<h3>I’m running for Congress to represent the missing middle — the people who feel invisible, whose voices are not heard, who are not represented in the current political divide.&nbsp;</h3>Our country needs to grow the middle class and invest in our communities so our children can afford to live in this beautiful place called Montana — the only place I call home. We need to protect our public lands, our children’s and grandchildren’s inheritance, so they can use and enjoy the majestic beauty of our stateFairness: Everyone should have a fair chance to work and find a place to live they can afford. Everyone must pay their fair share for providing the community and public benefits we all prosper from.&nbsp;Freedom: Every person should have the freedom to choose how they live their life, and the privacy to make decisions about whether they have children, who they love, and how they live their lives.Accountability: Montana is my only home—the home that I grew up in, worked for my entire life, and the place where I am raising my family.&nbsp;Our elected officials, and those who benefit from Montana’s resources, must be held accountable to the people of Montana.&nbsp;&nbsp;Politicians who serve the financial interests of the few make America less free, less secure and less stable. Working together, we can chart a different course for Montana—one that is full of opportunity for all of us, protects our privacy and freedom, and keeps our communities secure, safe, and stable.The current Congress is the most chaotic and least productive in history. It sat on his hands and squabbled while millions of Americans were trying to put a roof over their heads. It’s time to put Congress back to work again, tackling the issues that affect real people in our everyday lives.Read more on where I stand by clicking on the links below:

Having traveled tens of thousands of miles in my minivan, and connected with Montanans in all 16 counties of this western District and both Tribal Nations, the immediate issue we need to solve is housing. The <a href="https://www.slowboring.com/p/your-best-ideas-on-increasing-housing?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">federal government</a> is deeply involved in housing finance along multiple dimensions. Taking the lessons from the people of western Montana with me, I will be a partner at the federal level to continue and scale the work that is happening now at the local and county levels, in both the public and private sectors:<ol><li>Start with an assessment of the housing supply and demand;</li><li>Hold bad actors accountable where it is decreasing supply and increasing prices; and</li><li>Make building, renting, or owning a house more affordable.</li></ol>To correct the high price of housing across western Montana, there must be a correct assessment of the problem. Any starting point recognizes the <a href="https://headwaterseconomics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023HE-Amenity-Report-R3b-LOWRES.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">ongoing</a> creative work in our communities to address the challenges we face in housing, infrastructure, fiscal policy, and disaster preparation. But our local communities need federal partners willing to address the problem with common sense solutions.There is not a one-size fits-all solution to the housing crisis, but an important step is to hold bad actors accountable. We must crack down on out-of-state investors using houses to make money, rather than as a place for people to live in and call home. We see this in the increase of short-term rentals across Montana, private equity purchases of nursing homes and trailer parks, pushing out current residents and driving up prices; and the corporate purchases of Montana lands that end up closing off public access to public lands.To address affordability we need to loosen supply by ensuring that houses are treated as homes where people who live in a community go to sleep and eat and play, not as investment vehicles for foreign and out-of-state profiteers to turn a fast buck. On the other side, solutions include redefining area median income to allow local flexibility, allowing mortgage assumptions to offset high interest rates, fully funding existing programs that give rent relief and support first time homebuyers, and using tax credits to offset high land and labor costs so more housing can come online that can be attained by working families. In addition, the federal government should work with local and county governments to pursue common sense building regulations that address transport, infrastructure, and zoning.In implementing a plan to address the housing crisis in Montana, I will bring people together to implement at scale the solutions that are working and find common threads in what is needed regionally. In Congress, I will represent our home – Montana – and I plan to start by listening.Let’s get to work.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/c3e14104-273d-4723-a9f8-ce90528951b5/d216f3f8-76f4-4cda-9d52-358dbdf62e5f/d216f3f8-76f4-4cda-9d52-358dbdf62e5f.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C382%2C160&amp;w=1500" alt="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="25" variant="base"> Monica Tranel Candidate for Montana’s 1st Congressional District

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To effectively address housing, we must accurately assess the issue and have reliable data about what is causing the crisis on both the demand and the supply side. We must hold bad actors accountable to ensure that the demand side of the problem is alleviated by bringing profit seeking out of state corporate entities to account. We can incentivize supply of affordable homes through right-sizing programs and ensuring that our federal government is an effective and responsive partner to our local and county champions of housing in Montana. Achieving equitable housing across Montana will require building coalitions from all walks of life. There are lots of good people coming together with good ideas. I am committed to working with everyone in Montana to address and solve this issue for Montanans. Finally, houses in Montana should be homes for Montanans to sleep, eat, live, raise their children, grow a garden, chat with a neighbor about the other neighbors, and call home. Along with so many of my neighbors, family, and friends from Montana, I am fortunate to have a home in Montana, and I want my daughters – and all our children – to have that opportunity as well.

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Ryan Zinke Is Helping China Rip Off Our Ranchers

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Missoula, MT — Today, Monica Tranel earned the endorsement of EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, in her campaign to represent the people of Montana’s 1st Congressional district.“Freedom and privacy are fundamental values. Freedom to decide when, whether, and with whom we become parents, freedom to marry the person we love, freedom to practice what religion, if any, we choose. Our freedom and privacy to live life on our own terms are being threatened by a radical agenda supported by Ryan Zinke that hurts the pocketbooks of our families, schools, small businesses, seniors, and veterans while shifting huge tax breaks to the wealthiest. I’ve dedicated my entire career to fighting for Montana’s middle class, families, ranchers, and small businesses. I’m proud to have EMILYs List with me on the journey to Congress to protect the fundamental freedom and privacy that marks Montana and America,” said Tranel.&nbsp;“Montana’s 1st Congressional District deserves better than an anti-choice representative who consistently votes with MAGA extremists to take away their rights. Monica Tranel has been serving Montanans for her entire career, and she has what it takes to go up against Ryan Zinke and his radical agenda. Tranel has seen firsthand what Montana’s women, families, and small businesses need to thrive, and EMILYs List is proud to support her candidacy,” said EMILYs List President Laphonza Butler.EMILYs List joins the Montana Federation of Public Employees, Elect Democratic Women, the Voter Protection Project, former Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, and dozens of Montana legislators, elected officials, and community leaders in endorsing Tranel. You can see Tranel’s full list of endorsers <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.monicatranel.com/new-page">here</a>.

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Monica Tranel Earns Endorsement from EMILYs List

Missoula, MT – This week on her “I’m Listening, Montana” tour, Monica Tranel toured the Missoula Food Bank, held a roundtable with local leaders, and met with supporters.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/c3e14104-273d-4723-a9f8-ce90528951b5/773f4c00-e182-45d7-95e0-9ef79a2423bf/773f4c00-e182-45d7-95e0-9ef79a2423bf.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C360%2C480&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="" align="left" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed"> Tranel listened to people running the Missoula Food Bank talk about the challenges they face, including increasing food insecurity in the community, and families facing rising costs.A roundtable of community leaders and partners gathered to discuss food security, renewable energy, and economic challenges and opportunities in western Montana, including the Community Food &amp; Agriculture Coalition, Missoula Electric Cooperative, Climate Smart Missoula, Families for a Livable Climate, Garden City Harvest, and the Missoula Food Bank.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/c3e14104-273d-4723-a9f8-ce90528951b5/b8b8de6e-26d5-4ef3-8118-19507123c1bf/b8b8de6e-26d5-4ef3-8118-19507123c1bf.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C512%2C386&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="" align="right" alignwidth="40" tiltdirection="left" variant="framed">“Rising costs are hitting families hard, and I will work to grow our middle class,” said Monica Tranel. “Montanans need a Representative who listens to them, to work on solutions that fit our communities, and I’m committed to doing that.”Tranel announced her district-wide “I’m Listening, Montana” tour to connect with Montanans across every corner of Montana’s 1st Congressional District about the concerns and challenges we’re facing and share her message of working for fairness, accountability, and freedom for all Montanans.The tour will stop in all 16 counties and two tribal nations in MT-01 and will include roundtables, meet and greets, community tours, and meetings with local elected officials and community leaders.Since launching her campaign, Tranel has earned the endorsements of dozens of Montana legislators, elected officials, and community leaders, Square One, the Voter Protection Project, LCV Action Fund, the Montana Federation of Public Employees, EMILY’s List, and Elect Democratic Women. You can see Tranel’s full list of endorsers <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.monicatranel.com/endorsements">here</a>.###Monica Tranel was raised on a ranch in eastern Montana, went on to become a world champion rower and two-time Olympian, and has spent her 25-year career working for Montana’s middle class, families, ranchers, and small businesses.

Monica Tranel Stops in Missoula County on “I’m Listening, Montana” Tour

Missoula, MT —&nbsp;Today, Monica Tranel announced she raised $175,000 a mere 24 hours after launching her rematch campaign against Congressman Ryan Zinke for Montana’s 1st congressional district. 85% of Tranel’s contributions in the first 24 hours of her campaign came from Montanans, showcasing an unprecedented level of support for her candidacy.&nbsp; “I’m incredibly grateful for the groundswell of support we’ve received in the past 24 hours,” Tranel said. “While everyday Montanans struggle to afford groceries, stay in their homes, and pay their utilities, Ryan Zinke continues to sell us out to his corporate donors. That can’t be the status quo — Montanans deserve fair, accountable, and common-sense representation. That’s why I’m running for Congress, and with the grassroots support we’re building across the district, we’ll send him packing in November.” “Just 24 hours after launching her rematch campaign against Ryan Zinke, Monica has demonstrated her ability to build the coalition and raise the funds necessary not only to compete, but to win,” Campaign Manager Rob West said. “Over the course of this election, I’m confident we’ll continue to build off this momentum, and Monica will notch even more remarkable successes on the campaign trail.” This announcement comes just one day after Tranel, a two-time Olympian with a 25-year career fighting for Montana’s working families, ranchers, and small businesses, launched her rematch campaign against Ryan Zinke. In 2022, Tranel dramatically overperformed the 2020 presidential ticket in this district and ran one of the most competitive races in the country.###Tranel was raised on a ranch in eastern Montana, went on to become a world champion rower and two-time Olympian, and has spent her 25-year career fighting for Montana’s working families, ranchers, and small businesses.&nbsp;

Tranel marks strong fundraising numbers with 85% of contribution coming from Montanans

Monica Tranel Announces $175k Raised in 24 Hours

Columbia Falls, MT –&nbsp;Monica Tranel, candidate for Montana’s 1st Congressional District, toured the SmartLam plant in Columbia Falls with founder and CEO Casey Malmquist and plant manager Scott Lundgren. SmartLam employees discussed how the facility produces sustainable wood products from Montana timber that can be used in local construction projects. Tranel also met with the operators of the FH Stoltze Land &amp; Lumber Co&nbsp;Mill to hear about the challenges facing the industry in Montana and the need for strong federal advocates who will work to ensure mills have a reliable supply of timber.&nbsp; The tours are&nbsp;part of her district-wide “I’m Listening, Montana'' tour, which has included multiple to Flathead County. “Leadership is about listening,” Tranel said. “I will serve Montana because I know Montana, and I know the people who live and work here.” The SmartLam tour is one of several meetings Tranel is holding with local businesses connected to the construction industry in Flathead County working to build more housing in western Montana. During her first visit, Tranel convened a roundtable on affordable housing in the area. In response to the conversation, she is connecting with communities in the district on solutions that can be built together.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/c3e14104-273d-4723-a9f8-ce90528951b5/31a44bd7-e48f-498c-a832-88625d02d5d5/31a44bd7-e48f-498c-a832-88625d02d5d5.png?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1300%2C974&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="Monica touring the SmartLam facility" align="center" alignwidth="25" variant="base">Monica touring the SmartLam facilityFollowing the tour, Monica Tranel made the following statement: “The timber industry was the cornerstone of many western Montana communities for a long time. Healthy forests are critical to our local economy and to providing the natural resources our nation depends on.”###Monica Tranel was raised on a ranch in eastern Montana, went on to become a world champion rower and two-time Olympian, and has spent her 25-year career working&nbsp;for Montana’s middle class,&nbsp;families, ranchers, and small businesses.&nbsp;

Monica Tranel Visits Stoltze Lumber Mill and SmartLam Plant in Columbia Falls

This week on her “I’m Listening, Montana” tour, Monica Tranel visited Butte to meet with community members and local organizations to discuss environmental contamination and the EPA’s failure to protect Montanans. In Centerville, Tranel spoke with community members who are concerned about a proposal to move contaminated dirt into the neighborhood. Tranel also met with the Dirty Dirt group and Restore Our Creek.<img src="https://run.imgix.net/c3e14104-273d-4723-a9f8-ce90528951b5/9623bac3-581f-4d9f-9b24-09eb7400c44c/9623bac3-581f-4d9f-9b24-09eb7400c44c.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1170%2C876&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="Monica listening to residents concerns in Centerville" align="center" alignwidth="25" variant="base">Monica listening to residents concerns in Centerville<img src="https://run.imgix.net/c3e14104-273d-4723-a9f8-ce90528951b5/b0ec3087-4d0a-4b5d-881f-9fc265a63cd6/b0ec3087-4d0a-4b5d-881f-9fc265a63cd6.jpeg?ixlib=js-3.8.0&amp;bri=0&amp;con=0&amp;sat=0&amp;high=0&amp;shad=0&amp;usm=0&amp;rect=0%2C0%2C1170%2C1560&amp;w=1500" alt="" title="" caption="Monica at the M&amp;M Cafe in Butte" align="center" alignwidth="25" variant="base">Monica at the M&amp;M Cafe in Butte“The EPA is siding with polluting companies over our communities, and Montanans need a representative who will hold them accountable and ensure they’re working for us,” said Monica Tranel. “In Congress, I’ll call on the federal government to investigate the EPA and bring Montanans’ voices and concerns to the table.”Monica Tranel announced a district-wide “I’m Listening, Montana” tour to connect with Montanans in every corner of the first congressional district and hear directly from voters and local leaders about the challenges that families are facing.The tour will stop in all 16 counties and two tribal nations in the district and will include roundtables, meet and greets, tours, and meetings with local elected officials and community leaders.###Monica Tranel was raised on a ranch in eastern Montana, went on to become a world champion rower and two-time Olympian, and has spent her 25-year career working for Montana’s middle class, families, ranchers, and small businesses.

Monica Tranel Visits Butte-Silver Bow, Discusses EPA Accountability

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