The U.S. Census last Monday revealed that Montana qualified for a second U.S. House seat, and the first person to announce his intent to fill it is a familiar face. Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who worked under the Trump Administration, announced last week that he filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission and is motivated to represent Montana because of the current division in the country. He left his former position under Trump following federal investigations “ranging from probes into personal travel to potential conflicts of interest,” according to NBC Montana.
“I think our country’s in peril,” he told NBC Montana in an interview. “I fought for this country, I continue to fight for this country, I love my country. But I also love my neighbor. I grew up in Montana, where if someone’s barn is on fire, you don’t ask whether he’s Republican or Democrat. You go over and you put it out.”