Democrat Monica Tranel running for state's new U.S. House seat

Citing her roots in rural Montana and past legal work defending the state from monopoly corporations, Democrat Monica Tranel said this week she’s planning to run for the state’s newly created seat in the U.S. House.

Tranel, of Missoula, is the second Democratic candidate to join the race. Last week Democratic state lawmaker Laurie Bishop, of Livingston, said she was running. Two Republicans have also said they’re in the race — former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, who previously held Montana’s lone seat in the U.S. House; and former Kalispell state Sen. Al Olszewski.

Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau in April showed Montana gained enough population to add a second seat in the U.S. House. The state is the first to regain a second House seat after losing one, which happened after the 1990 census. A commission will draw the boundaries of the new seat by spring of next year, though candidates do not need to live within its borders. The primary election for the seat is in June 2022 and the general election in November 2022.

Tranel, 55, said she wants to be a voice for rural places and issues in Congress. She ran for the state Public Service Commission's District 4 seat last year, winning the primary but losing to former state GOP senator Jennifer Fielder in the general election. Her campaign cited that race as building her name recognition and a donor network that prepared her for the Congressional bid.

Read more: https://ravallirepublic.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/democrat-monica-tranel-running-for-states-new-u-s-house-seat/article_7ba38fbe-f827-5d46-9355-032b0e5e6d6a.html