Ryan Zinke wins GOP nomination in race for new Montana House seat
CBSN
Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke won an unexpectedly tight race Thursday to become the Republican nominee in the race for a new U.S. House seat representing western Montana, a victory that comes after days of hand-counting ballots in one county.
Zinke defeated former state Sen. Al "Doc" Olszewski by just over 1,600 votes out of 84,500 cast in the race, or 1.9 percentage points, according to preliminary numbers. Zinke was one of five Republicans on the primary ballot for the open seat, which Montana gained this year thanks to its growing population.
In a statement, the former interior secretary said of his victory, "Thank you Western Montana for your confidence that America can be fixed and for ignoring the political BS," and he went on to thank former President Trump, Sen. Steve Daines, and Gov. Greg Gianforte for their endorsements.
