Zinke 'optimistic' in election victory

Whitefish Republican Ryan Zinke handily defeated Democrat John Lewis in the race or Montana’s lone seat in the U.S. House. Zinke garnered 55 percent of the statewide vote Nov. 4 and led in all but six counties.

The Associated Press declared Zinke’s victory at 10:30 p.m. on election night.

Zinke, a 53-year-old retired Navy SEAL commander and former state senator, celebrated the win with friends and family gathered at a banquet room at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake. He gave a brief victory speech surrounded by his sons, Konrad and Wolf, and his wife, Lola.

“This election has been a lot about getting accountability back in government,” Zinke told the crowd. “It’s our government and our country.”

With the Republican party gaining a majority in the U.S. Senate and increasing its numbers in the House, Zinke said he’s optimist about the future of country.

“The 21st Century can and will be America’s century, but we’re going to have to earn it,” he said. “When we inherited what we have today, it was earned.”

He said the Republican party has to go from a party of “no” to a party of “go.”

“I’m and optimist. I think this country can be rebuilt,” he said.

“We’re going to put a little more Montana in Washington, D.C., and a whole lot less Washington in Montana.”

Zinke dominated the vote in Northwest Montana. He picked up 64 percent in Flathead County, 67 percent in Lincoln County, 64 percent in Sanders County and 55 percent in Lake County.

Lewis won the vote in Missoula County, but fell short in other population centers, including his home town of Helena.

"People are proud of the campaign we've run," Lewis told the Associated Press on election night. "Somebody said to me, an older woman, 'you ran a campaign that we've been waiting for someone to run, on issues.'"

"I'm proud of our effort and that we kept it competitive," he said of the race. "I can take peace with the fact that we gave it everything we got."

Libertarian Mike Fellows picked up 4 percent of the statewide vote.