Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke, who served as interior secretary during President Donald Trump’s first administration, announced Monday he will not run for reelection.
Zinke, a former Navy SEAL who held the seat from 2014 to 2017 and then again since 2023, said in a statement he has recently undergone multiple surgeries due to his experience serving in Special Operations and will face “several more” surgeries after leaving office.
Zinke said in his resignation statement that will serve out the remainder of his term in Congress and will exit alongside the multitude of lawmakers leaving the chamber after the election this fall.
“While my belief in term limits for elected office is a consideration, I have quietly undergone multiple surgeries since I returned to Congress and unfortunately face several more immediately after leaving office,” Zinke said.
“The injuries sustained from a career in Special Operations are not immediately life threatening, but the repair cannot be deferred any longer and recovery will require considerable time with my wife Lola and my family.”
It has been my highest honor to serve America and the Great State of Montana. We have secured critical funding for Montana bridges, roads, sewer systems, water infrastructure, public access points, conservation projects, and helped thousands of Montanans successfully navigate… pic.twitter.com/HFuhr6D33v
— Rep Ryan Zinke (@RepRyanZinke) March 2, 2026
After four years in the Montana Legislature, Zinke was elected to the U.S. House in 2014.
He was tapped as Trump’s interior secretary in 2017 but resigned in 2018 amid numerous ethics investigations.
His political career bounced back in 2022 when Zinke narrowly won in a newly created congressional district in western Montana. He won again in 2024 by a comfortable margin.
“My judgment and experience tell me it is better for Montana and America to have full-time representation in Congress than run the risk of uncertain absence and missed votes,” Zinke said.
Several Democrats already had lined up to challenge Zinke in the November election, including former gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse and union organizer Sam Forstag.
“Ryan Zinke quit because he saw what was coming: all of us,” Forstag said in a statement, adding that people in western Montana wanted new leadership.
Zinke’s suddenly resignation marks the 52nd member of Congress to exit the chamber after the November midterms.
Of the 52 lawmakers, 31 Republicans and 21 Democrats, will be leaving Congress next winter, marking a mass exodus from Capitol Hill that Democrats are looking to take advantage of.
Republicans have a narrow 218-214 majority, with three seats vacant ahead of the November midterm elections.