Trump Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke wins Montana House race

Trump administration Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke will represent Montana in Congress next year, returning to Washington four years after his scandal-plagued tenure as a Cabinet secretary ended in resignation.

Zinke will represent Montana's 1st congressional district, which covers the state's western half, by virtue of his victory over Democrat Monica Tranel. The district, which Montana gained this year after reapportionment based on the 2020 census, was considered the more competitive of the state's two House races.

Zinke previously served in Congress representing Montana’s at-large congressional district from 2015 until 2017, when he resigned to become Interior Secretary under Trump. Although Zinke frequently campaigned on his Montana roots, it’s unclear whether he spends most of his time in the state or at his home in California. In May, POLITICO uncovered tax records that showed Zinke’s wife, Lola, designated the couple's Santa Barbara, Calif., home as her primary residence. Zinke has also used that address as a mailing address for fundraising invitations.

Zinke’s time as Interior Secretary was marked by a cascade of scandals that followed him even after stepped down at the beginning of 2019. Months after he left the role, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into whether Zinke used personal email accounts for official business.

During his tenure, Zinke faced investigations from the Interior’s internal watchdog related to a land deal in Montana and obstruction of a tribal casino project in Connecticut. The watchdog found that Zinke did violate ethics guidelines in the Montana deal, and more recently accused him of lying during the casino investigation.

Zinke’s departure came during a wave of scandal-related departures in Trump’s Cabinet, including former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who departed shortly before Zinke.