Ryan Busse, a former firearms executive and 2024 Democratic candidate for governor, will compete for Montana’s western U.S. House district in this year’s election. Busse, of Kalispell, announced his candidacy Thursday morning, capping off a week in which Democratic and independent candidates announced challenges to all three Republican congressional incumbents on the 2026 ballot.  Ryan Busse The big draw is District 1, the state’s western U.S. House district, which is anchored by Bozeman, Butte, Kalispell and Missoula. Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke, of Whitefish, has won the district by increasing margins since it was newly created in 2021. Zinke was elected with a 3.5% advantage over Democrat Monica Tranel in 2022, and a 7% advantage over Tranel in 2024. Democrats say voters dissatisfied with the policies of President Donald Trump could make the district competitive. “The Montana 1 district, in a year like 2026, this is the type of place where we’re going to decide what kind of country we are,” Busse told Montana Free Press in an interview Wednesday. “The deep-blue districts and big cities, they’ll go blue. The deep-red districts and other places, they’ll go red. But this is a Trump plus-5 district in a year when the average political shift has been what, 13 to 18 points? We’re going to figure out who we are.” In his 2024 challenge to incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte, Busse won better than 42% of the vote in the counties comprising the western House district, and 39% of the vote statewide. That year Zinke won 52% of the district vote in a three-way race against Democrat Tranel and Libertarian Dennis Hayes. Weeks ahead of Busse’s announcement for House, a two-page polling summary by Tulchin Research suggested that 47% of district voters would support Busse over Zinke, while 43% would vote for Zinke. Sam Forstag On Monday, smokejumper Sam Forstag, of Missoula, launched his campaign seeking the Democratic nomination in District 1 with a dramatic video on Instagram that combines images of charred forests with a characterization of the Republican-controlled Congress and the Trump presidency as a fire in need of extinguishing. That same day, Forstag’s campaign circulated an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic Socialist from Vermont, who defeated Hillary Clinton in Montana’s 2016 presidential primary.  Many Democrats still “feel the Bern” for Sanders, who drew thousands in Missoula for an April 2025 “Fight Oligarchy” rally with U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York. Forstag had a speaking role at the rally. Russell Cleveland Forstag’s campaign said he is busy this week with campaign events and was unable to schedule a time to interview for this article. Matt Rains Two other Democrats, Russell Cleveland, of St. Regis, and Simms native Matt Rains, have been campaigning for the District 1 primary for several months. Both tout ranching roots and military experience in their challenge to Zinke, a former Navy SEAL commander. Increased consumer costs related to tariffs enacted by Trump, and the cancellation of federal funds and cuts to government services like the U.S. Forest Service headquarters in Missoula, have been common themes of the challengers’ opening remarks. SENATE RACE Another veteran, Alani Bankhead, launched her campaign Monday for the Democratic U.S. Senate primary. Bankhead, who lives in Helena, is a career Air Force special agent who presents publicly about her work on Internet crimes targeting children and her past work investigating spies and terrorists. Bankhead told MTFP the state needs more availability and transparency than it is receiving from incumbent two-term Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, of Bozeman.  “They had a vote on the [Medicaid] expansion last month, and he didn’t even vote at all,” Bankhead said. “I expect elected officials to show up and represent their people and to also engage with their constituents, and I haven’t talked to anybody who has said that he’s returned a call or an email. I know people who’ve gone out there and he won’t meet with them, and to me, that’s just unacceptable.” Daines did miss key votes Dec. 11 on Medicaid subsidies established during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to congressional watchdog GovTrack. The senator’s staff said he was on a congressional trip to the Middle East. During the current Congress, Daines has missed 2% of roll call votes, which is fewer missed votes than the median 5% for senators. In 2024, while directing the National Republican Senatorial Committee, an election PAC, Daines missed 5.7% of Senate roll call votes, which ranked him 26th out of 100 senators for votes missed, GovTrack reports. Other Democratic Daines challengers include former state legislator and publisher Reilly Neill, of Livingston, who has been campaigning for several months. Also in the running are Michael Hummert, of Helena, and Michael James Blackwolf, of Hays, who each report campaign finances of less than $100. Charles Walking Child Sr., who uses a Helena campaign address and has run several low-dollar campaigns for office, is challenging Daines in the Republican primary. Independent candidate Michael Eisenhauer launched his campaign for Montana’s eastern U.S. House district this week. Eisenhauer is a retired Great Falls heart surgeon and military veteran. Independent candidates don’t automatically qualify for the Montana ballot, which means independent campaigns will be gathering signatures in the spring while Democrats, Libertarians and Republicans are running their primary election campaigns.  “Without question, it has a higher initial hurdle, because we have to go out and get more than 7,000 signatures on a petition,” Eisenhauer told MTFP. “But the number of independent-minded people in the district is probably a silent majority. I think there’s at least 45 to 50% of the people who identify as independent. There’s probably 35 to 40% who are Republican, and probably another 15 to 20% who identify as Democrat in the district. “I would like to represent Montanans. How do Montanans want us to vote? Not with the elites, not the intellectuals, not the East Coast versus West Coast, not the party bosses. And I think Montana is better represented that way,” Eisenhauer said.  In past elections, the eastern district has favored Republicans by double-digit margins, and has also recently favored independents over Democrats. In 2022, independent candidate Gary Buchanan won 22% of the vote in District 2, outperforming Democrat Penny Ronning, who picked up 20%. Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale won more than 56% of the vote that year.  Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing won more than 65% of the district vote in 2024. Democrat John Driscoll garnered 40%, and write-in candidate Reilly Neill drew 0.4%. There will also be a Democratic primary for District 2 between Sam Lux, who declared his candidacy last July, and Brian Miller, who declared in December. Finance reports for Lux show the candidate had $353 cash on hand by September. Miller, an attorney, says on his campaign website that both parties are to blame for congressional dysfunction, and that “America is headed down a dark path” with an unchecked executive in Donald Trump.   The post Ryan Busse announces for western district House race, adding to crowded Democratic primary field appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less