Zinke considers campaign for House seat

Whitefish resident and former state Sen. Ryan Zinke announced Monday that he has formed an exploratory committee as he considers a 2014 campaign for Montana’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Current Rep. Steve Daines is expected to run for Senate in 2014.

“All too often we’ve seen our government divided, just look at the recent government shutdown and the impasse between Republicans and Democrats,” Zinke, a Republican, said in a press release. “Montana needs someone in Washington who can help to unite the parties, work toward common-sense solutions, and restore our fundamental value of American exceptionalism.”

Raised in Whitefish, Zinke served as a U.S. Navy SEAL from 1985 to 2008 and retired as a commander. He served four years in the Montana Senate, beginning in 2008, representing Whitefish.

In 2011, he unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate Neil Livingstone.