Zinke stops in Polson, encourages leaving anger out of discussions
Boone Goddard
Ryan Zinke, Republican candidate for Montana’s Western District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, waves to motorists in downtown Polson last Friday.
Boone Goddard
Lake County Republicans wave flags during a visit from Representative Ryan Zinke in his campaign to retain his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Boone Goddard
Local citizens hold signs and wave flags in downtown Polson on Friday, Oct. 18, encouraging passing motorists to vote for Ryan Zinke, and to vote Republican overall in the upcoming general election.
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By Boone Goddard / Valley Journal
On Friday, Oct. 18, at 5 p.m., U. S. Representative Ryan Zinke, incumbent candidate for Montana’s 1st Congressional District, showed up for a rally on Highway 93 near Polson City Hall. Approximately 30 of his supporters waved signs and played music while many vehicles driving by honked their enthusiasm. Some passersby, however, presented Zinke with a thumbs down.
Zinke spoke to and chatted with several individuals while also answering questions on various topics. Although no speech was planned for this particular event, Zinke did mention he and his supporters would be headed to “The Shoe” restaurant to continue conversations.
During his stop Zinke stated he supports keeping boys out of girls’ sports, a strong country, good paying jobs and that he does not bend when it comes to the constitution. Zinke mentioned that rural infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, were also important priorities. He said he was optimistic and felt good about his odds of winning the upcoming election.
In recent talks with CSKT regarding firefighting, he expressed a positive position on conservation and that he respects tribal sovereignty. He also said, “When a wildfire happens. it doesn’t care if it crosses a line or a boundary, so we need to make sure that assets can be shared when these things happen.”
With regards to the issue of housing, Zinke said he supports the HELPER Act as well as getting interest rates down to make buying a home more affordable. (The Homes for Every Local Protector, Educator, and Responder - HELPER Act - was introduced in May of 2023. If passed it should help provide homeownership for first responders and educators because these careers don’t come with high- paying salaries.) The average cost of a home in Montana is $650,000 and 40% of that cost comes from the expense of permits. He said, “Free housing is not the goal, affordable housing is.”
Zinke added, “To keep this country strong we need good medical, good schools and a good economy.”
“We need to get the anger out of the discussion so we can work to resolve the problems we face,” he said. “When we wake up in the morning, both parties, both sides of the isle … I sure hope we aren’t thinking, ‘how can we make this worse.’”
Zinke faces Democratic challenger Monica Tranel in the Nov. 5 general election for one of Montana’s two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
