Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau rallied support at the Capitol today as she filed her bid for Montana’s lone U.S. House seat.
Dozens of supporters crowded around the Jeannette Rankin statue in the Capitol rotunda Thursday as Juneau promised to follow in footsteps of the first woman to ever serve in Congress.
“And in doing so we will elect the first Native American women to U.S. Congress ever.”
Juneau is challenging Republican Ryan Zinke for the position he currently holds as Montana’s Congressman.
On paper, Juneau and Zinke are starkly contrasting candidates.
Juneau is a former teacher, and Blackfeet tribal member, who is trying to become the state’ s first openly gay candidate for Congress.
On the other side of the ballot, Zinke is a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Navy SEALs from Whitefish who brands himself as a constitutional conservative.
Zinke has not yet filed for re-election.
Candidates running for statewide office will be handing in their official paperwork to the Secretary of State with increasing frequently over the next couple weeks. That deadline is March 14.