Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) announced Monday he will not run for reelection, perhaps boosting Democrats’ chances of retaking the House in 2026.

Politico noted that the 64-year-old’s decision to at least put off retiring until a new session of Congress is in place “will likely be viewed as a gift” to Republicans, who hold a small majority in the House.

The current math bodes well for the minority party: 31 House Republicans are now set to retire compared with 21 House Democrats, the Daily Beast wrote.

Zinke, who left Congress in 2017 to serve as secretary of the interior in President Donald Trump’s first term, wrote in a letter to his constituents that injuries he suffered as a Navy SEAL have resulted in multiple surgeries since he returned to Congress in 2023. He will need more.

“My judgement 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,” he wrote.

Zinke endorsed a possible successor, Republican talk radio host Aaron Flint, but Democrats are targeting the district as a possibility to flip, according to The Washington Post. Zinke won by 8 percentage points in 2024.

Zinke may be remembered for a bizarre 2023 claim that “the deep state” wants to “wipe out the American cowboy.” Later that year, he and other right-wing House members introduced a bill to expel Palestinians from the United States.

As interior secretary, he promoted Trump’s anti-environment policies; he resigned effective January 2019 amid nearly 20 federal investigations. He won a return to Congress in 2022.

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