Where Zinke, Tranel and Lamb stand on abortion, elections, inflation and more

On September 29, 2022, candidates for Montana’s first congressional district debated in the auditorium of Montana Tech in Butte.

The candidates in the race are Republican Ryan Zinke, Libertarian John Lamb and Democrat Monica Tranel.

The following is an abbreviated transcript of the debate. transcript of the debate. Questions and answers have received minor edits for clarity.

You can listen to the full debatesponsored by Lee Newspapers and Montana Public Radio here:

Trust in elections

Joe Biden was sworn in as president in 2021. Do you believe he was duly elected? And if you are elected to this seat, what role do you have in fostering trust or changing the election system? 

Monica Tranel: The first role is developing trust. And what I have done to do that across Montana, I spent my professional career here, my 25 years working for you in Montana, delivering for you. I put almost 40,000 miles on my minivan, showing up, talking to you, talking to city councils, county commissioners, meeting you where you are, and connecting with our communities. That's the first step in building trust, is meeting you and connecting with you, being available. So that's the first step in building trust. Our elections are free and secure and it's irresponsible and nonsense to say anything else, like the platform that Ryan Zinke’s party has embraced. I know and I've talked to the election officials across this state, people who have spent 30 years who are getting death threats. It's irresponsible. It's wrong. Our elections are fair and secure and we need to stand by that and stop that dangerous rhetoric

John Lamb: I trust you the people as voters to, if you don't like us, vote us out. We have a big dilemma in this country. That's one reason I'm running, is the people deserve a new voice. A common person that is going to represent you the people. I can only say that I can only trust what the election results are. I am not an expert in it. Joe Biden is the president of this country. Whether I like him or I like Trump. I did not vote for either one of them. I voted for Jo Jorgensen because I figured I felt that she was the lesser of two evils. So my main concern is being a voice for the people, being that new voice that can actually represent bipartisan for you. You the voters need to choose.

Ryan Zinke: I think Montana does a pretty good job of elections. I think we're good people. I think as long as people stay vigilant and look at the elections and get out there and do our part. I'm absolutely against federal takeover elections because quite frankly, I don't trust the federal system. I ask you this, what branch, division of the United States government do you trust? And the elections, we should be concerned because your vote should count. And when there is doubt cast, as the FBI has shown Russian collusion, they were involved. FBI evidently talked to Mr. Zuckerberg and put the finger on the scale and said suppress stories about Hunter Biden's laptop. When does that happen and why? So when those things come up, we need to pursue them. And our election system is sacred. And it's all of us to make sure that elections are fair. And if we question, then let’s question it. But in Montana, I think we do a pretty good job. I've talked to, you know, most of the county clerks. They're pretty convinced that if there was, you know, some tomfoolery, it was small. But all of us have a job to do to make sure the elections are safe, secure, and one vote is one person. And let's make sure we do it right.

Inflation

Inflation has affected Montana families everywhere from the grocery store to the gas pump. What are three ways you would work in Congress if elected to this seat to address inflation? 

John Lamb: I would end the Fed first, because we have way too much spending in the federal government. I am a big fan of Ron Paul. Ron Paul had, I believe, every answer right in my book. We need to bring these things locally back home and let the locals fix this issue. We have horrible homeless over in Bozeman and Missoula. I drove through Missoula just yesterday in the day with six of my children and my wife, seeing the campers in some of it. In Bozeman, the tents, the campers all over. We have the resources right here in Montana to fix that. I don't believe the federal government should intervene in that because they can't fix anything right now. There are problems and problems and problems in Congress. I would resort everything right back here to the state of Montana where it belongs.

Ryan Zinke: Inflation by every economist would say there's two critical factors: energy costs and spending. And I can tell you, Monica wants to kill the American energy, which will affect Montana's economy and quite frankly, national security. And on spending, you can't say you want to control and spending when you support $133 trillion of spending, as Monica does, that's new spending, $133 trillion of new spending. Because when you add up, Build Back Better, you add up green new deal, you add up Inflation Reduction Act, add up Medicare for all. That's $133 trillion. And when you go after American energy, particularly hydrocarbons, this is what Montana is feeling. We drive bigger trucks. Our distances are further. Our supply chain is further. And so when you raise energy costs, it affects everyone, fertilizer, food across the board.

Monica Tranel: On the trail across this new district, the 16 counties in the two tribal nations, I have talked to so many people and the three top issues facing Montana right now are housing, housing and housing. So this question of affordability is one that I have put out a plan that addresses it. It's at monicatranel.com. I'm the only candidate in this race with a concrete actual plan with details about how I will get things done. The things that we need to start doing to put our people back to work in good jobs is getting decent housing available. First of all, in Kalispell, Class One Technologies, they can't find enough houses for people. Our teachers make $30,000 a year here in Montana, the lowest salary in the country. Houses in Bozeman are $800,000. That doesn't work. My affordability plan addresses this by finding ways to have child care available for our workers, to make housing available for education. We have to get a grip on the affordability crisis that's facing western Montana. And that takes real plans, which I have and I've set forth. And I've brought hundreds of millions of dollars of real investment to Montana in the last 20 years when I have been here working for you and with you.

Abortion

The U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision removed federal protection for abortion access in the country. Can you clarify at what gestational age and under what circumstances you believe abortion should be allowed, if at all.

Ryan Zinke: Well, Monica has lied about my position and she has lied to women about it. Abortion is a tough issue. And I'm pro-life and I'm proud of it. But I'm also a father and I'm a husband. And life isn't perfect. So I always believe that banning it is too harsh. But Monica's position of open ended all the way up to birth is barbaric. So I don't believe that. I do think we ought to focus on birth control over the counter and give alternatives to young women that face a very difficult decision. Again, I wish the abortion wasn't there, but life isn't perfect. And I understand there's a lot of circumstances that force a woman into that very difficult decision. But I'm pro-life and I'm proud of it. My but this open ended, any time, any place it right up to the moment of birth, that's not Montana and that's barbaric.

Monica Tranel: This is about privacy and freedom. And I am the only candidate in this race who stands unequivocally with you for your privacy, to make your own health care decisions, to make decisions about your body, and to decide when, whether and how you will become a mother or a parent and how to use your resources. I'm the only candidate who stands with you on privacy and freedom. And let's talk about what's at stake here. Ten attorney generals have issued over 50,000 subpoenas to Google for location data and geofence warrants finding out where you are and what you're searching. Who here has a cell phone? You are at risk of having your attorney general doing a subpoena to find your information about where you're going and what you're looking for. And if they can do that for abortion, they can do it for hunting. They can do it for buying a gun. They can do it for everything and anything you do. The stakes are very high. And Ryan, you voted against every abortion bill. You've voted against women's health care. You voted against contraception. So don't tell me you're pro-life. When you're voting against education, you're voting against money. You're voting against children. You're voting against families. That's not pro-life.

John Lamb: I'm 100% pro-life. I believe life starts at conception. Life is very important. I have a young son here. He was born premature at about four pounds, way early. The doctors gave us that decision. He lived. He's a baby. He's not just a fetus. Life is very important. I vote to protect all life. Every life, the life of the unborn, the life of the elderly, the life of the disabled. I am 100% pro-life. I was 100% for the overturn of Roe v Wade.

Montana News

Listen: Western district candidate forum with Zinke, Tranel and Lamb

Listen • 53:17

Energy and climate

Montana is already feeling the effects of climate change through longer and more intense fire seasons and more extreme weather patterns -- like flooding in Yellowstone this spring and the ongoing drought hurting the agriculture industry. What, if anything, do you believe should be done to limit greenhouse gas emissions and what can be done to help the workers transition if your plan calls for a change in the energy industry? 

Monica Tranel: This is an incredibly exciting moment in our world and in our state. Montana has tremendous natural resources. We have winter peaking wind that we can send to the west. We have a history in Butte, America well-versed in our history of using our resources and making money off of them. So Colstrip Units 1 and 2 are shut down and that generation is completely replaced by wind. And that has brought $217 million to five counties. In Beaverhead County the tax base is $1 billion. They have a solar project there that brings $500 million of new taxable revenue to that county. Here in Butte, at the industrial park, you're looking at a billion dollars in new investment for a hydrogen project. In Libby, we are looking at reopening some mills to be able to use the wood there and use the forest to manage them appropriately and to turn that into good energy. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity. The Montana that I grew up in, that I love, that I know is one that embraces the problems that we have and we work together. This is a new time for us. And we can do it and we can do it well and we can make it work for Montana. And I'm positioned to lead that charge. I've spent 20 years working on this for Montana, bringing money to Montana, keeping money in your pockets, because I was there and I will be there with you and for you in Congress.

John Lamb: I don't believe the federal government should be involved in this. This is up to Montana, again. If elected to Congress, I will protect Montana sovereignty and its rights in these decisions. We have some of the most beautiful state land here in Montana. We manage our state land even better than the federal lands that Montana has, that they're in poor maintenance. They're not managing our BLM lands properly. We need to turn these federal lands back over to the control of the state. Let the states manage these. We have proven here in Montana that we can do it because of our state lands and how well we have protected them and preserved them. So, again, the federal government isn't the answer. It needs to go back to the state and let the states decide this.

Ryan Zinke: When I was secretary went from 8.3 million barrels a day to 12.5 million barrels a day. And we're the world's largest exporter of energy. But we also lowered emissions, and we had the best safety record in the history of this country. There's a reason, because American energy is cleaner, better, our technology is better, and we do it better than anyone in the world. You look at Russia. Russia is 41% dirtier. So Monica's idea of making Montana a giant wind farm and taking our water and converting it to hydrogen and shipping it out someplace else is nuts. And NorthWestern Energy is raising rates. You know why? Because Monica sued them. And so when Northwest Energy can't build hydrocarbon plants to make up when the wind doesn't blow, guess what? There's no power. And so rates go up and they have to buy it from somewhere else. So, yes, energy is important in this country. But I think you're going to make Montana and one giant windmill and hydrogen's going to provide the power is just simply nuts.

Gun violence

The National Center for Education reported last year that fatal school shootings reached their highest point ever since the start of data collection after 19 kids and two teachers were killed in the Uvalde School shooting in Texas earlier this year. Does Congress have a role in preventing future school shootings? And if so, what is it? 

John Lamb: I'm 100% pro-gun. Our Second Amendment is part of the founding documents of this country. I believe in 'shall not be infringed.' We can't take guns away from good people to stop bad people. We have to put guards in the schools if we need to, arm the teachers. I'm for all kinds of options. But we have a right, a God given right to have a gun, not just a constitutional right. The Constitution just backs that God given right up. We have the right to defend ourselves against bad people. If you take the guns away, what's going to happen? We're only going to have bad people that don't obey the laws anyway. I believe in deregulating gun laws.

Ryan Zinke: I'm pro-gun. You ain't taken the guns away from Montana. Monica wants to ban assault rifles, semi automatics. And I think Montana won't do that because Montana looks at our legacy of weapons and guns and we honor that tradition. Schools, we should provide protection in schools. And mental health, that's a huge issue. But I'm a believer that we need to relook at our mental health across the board. When we took the mental health and we said we will push it to communities and families, it's not working. It is not working. So maybe we should look at institutionalizing again and looking at how to address homeless and mental health. Because when sheriffs pull up to a driveway and you have someone who is clearly deranged, what they do is they wrap them up, they send them to two Warm Springs and in ten days are right back on the street. We need to find a better way to do that because it is killing literally killing our people.

Monica Tranel: On the trail in the last 15 months of campaigning across this new district, I've done ride alongs with law enforcement, county sheriffs, city police. I've met with teachers. I've visited schools. I've talked with our county commissioners and everyone, everyone wants to keep our communities safe. I grew up on a ranch in eastern Montana. I understand the Montana gun culture. There are 27 amendments to our Constitution. I support them all. And what we have to do and what I have heard from the community, conservative folks have said they support longer background checks. That's a reasonable way to keep people safe. And so let's look at that in the conversations: how do we keep our communities safe and keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people because our law enforcement, they need to know the good guys from the bad guys. And they want that, too. We all want our communities safe, and we all understand that. I support the amendments to the Constitution. And I will just say, like at the very outset of this debate, Ryan is not documenting any of the statements he's seen with any evidence or support.

Tribal relations

Native Americans make up about 9% of Montana's population. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of allowing state law enforcement to prosecute non-native people who commit crimes against Native people on reservation land. Experts and tribal leaders said the ruling undermines tribal sovereignty. Should Congress have a role in upholding the sovereignty of tribal nations? 

Ryan Zinke: As the former Secretary of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, fell under me. I've taken the position that nations are sovereign. They are, by treaty or by Congress a nation is sovereign. And so I do respect the sovereignty of our nations. I think we should coordinate with them on law enforcement. As Secretary on the drug problem, we've created a task force and we've brought all the law enforcement from within the Interior. And we asked and coordinated with the nations before we entered the tribal property, and we coordinated together on law enforcement. So I think on questions like law enforcement, you have to look at where the treaty is. You have to look at the agreements. But you have to respect sovereignty because they are sovereign nations.

Monica Tranel: Will I, as your representative in Congress, work with our two tribal nations that are part of this district and uphold their sovereignty? Yes, absolutely. And I will just point out that when Ryan Zinke was secretary he stopped the transfer of the bison range to the CSKT that has finally been transferred. It's happened. And those are the ways that we need to listen to and learn from and work with our partners on the tribal nations. I've met with the tribal councils. I've gone to the Salish Kootenai College where John and I actually had a debate there. Ryan didn't think it was worth his time to show up on that tribal nation. So we have been there. I've been there. I've talked with all of the folks in these sovereign nations, and I will work with them. There is a lot of work to be done. There is a lot of change happening right now. The secretary's report about the boarding schools. We have real work to do and there is a lot of healing to be done. We need to listen. We need to learn. And I will work with our partners on these tribal nations to lift up their cultures and start that healing process as they see fit.

John Lamb: I would like to ask Leonard Peltier this question. Leonard Peltier has been in prison for 50 years because of an overreaching federal government upon sovereign lands on the Pine Ridge Reservation. In the 1970s, the federal government went into sovereign land and killed Indians. Arrested many. Leonard Peltier has been set in prison for 50 years because of this. If it wasn't for an overreaching federal government Leonard Peltier would be free right now. I would reach out to Biden, pardon Leonard Peltier. Let him go. He shouldn't be in prison for 50 years. We have many innocent prisoners across this whole country. Native Americans in many federal prisons. Leonard Peltier is in a federal prison in Florida. And I reach out and ask anybody to keep advocating for his release.

Veterans affairs

Veterans account for 10% of Montana's population, and in a rural state, they face many challenges to getting the health care they earned if elected to the seat. What would you do to ensure the VA provides veterans their benefits, including physical and mental health care? 

Monica Tranel: Thank you for the question about our veterans. So Montana does have one of the highest vet populations and many of those folks reside in this new western district. So the PACT Act last summer that Senator Tester was working on that would have given greater benefits to our vets that was being torpedoed through a game by the Republicans. And Steve Daines was fist bumping on the floor, making fun of our vets. That is wrong. And Ryan Zinke refused to speak out and stand with our vets. I did. I came here to Butte and I released my Vets On The Trail With Tranel. And I am proud to have been endorsed by so many of our vets. And I want to thank you for your service throughout this district. I have talked with vets, World War II vets, our Vietnam vets, all of our vets from so many different wars and conflicts. I will stand with you as I did as I have over the 15 months traveling on this trail, listening to you, hearing you, and understanding and caring about your issues and standing with you, when Ryan Zinke, he wouldn't.

John Lamb: One of the best ways to protect our vets is to end the next war. Quit putting our troops and our veterans in bad situations where they're in long standing wars for 20 years. I met this morning in Missoula with the Montana Veterans Association here in Montana and had a long talk with the gentleman that was explaining to me some of the main issues that we're having here in Montana and in the state. We still have over 20 veterans every single day that commit suicide here in the United States. Montana is the highest per capita right here in Montana for veterans that commit suicide. This is a situation that needs to be fixed. We can't look for the federal government to fix it. They haven't fixed anything. The only thing they can do is get us $22 trillion in debt. We have to fix this as a community, as people, as Montanans.

Ryan Zinke: Well, John, I think you're going to have to explain two things that you've said, that the military is a sacred cow and we need to make it hamburger. You also said, thinking that the military fight for freedom is like believing kids with Santa Claus. I can tell you that's disgusting. And as a veteran, I know the issues of veterans, believe me. I've lived it. The VA is broke. The VA is broke and it probably needs to go in the yards and refitted from the ground up. Our veterans face a lot of challenges. They do. We're recovering from a war of abandonment or recovering from a lot of PTSD and, you know, significant injuries. And our veterans are hurting. Most of the veterans want choice. They want access and they want quality care. I think the veterans deserve that. I don't think the VA is delivering it.

Closing statements

John Lamb: Thank you so much for being here and listening to what we stand for. What we are going to promise you when we get to Congress. I can guarantee you that I will be that voice. If you choose to elect me, I will be that voice that will work with both sides of the aisle, according to the Constitution of the United States, to protect individual rights, individual sovereignty within the state, to keep big government out of our lives, less spending, the burden on the taxpayers. We can't afford more. The more federal government we have in our life, the less freedoms we're going to have. They've been restricting us for years and years and years by cutting away our Second Amendment, taking away our First Amendment, limiting jury trials, not giving us a chance at a speedy trial and a fair trial. And I've been an advocate for prisoners for many, many years. And I can tell you, our court systems are corrupt. Our politicians are corrupt. Congress isn't the answer to fix all these issues. But I will be that voice to hold Congress accountable to us, the people, and the Constitution of the United States.

Ryan Zinke: I don't think there's a bigger difference, I mean, in elections between the three candidates. I'm from Montana. I was born in Montana. I have a track record of energy independence from America. I have a track record of fixing our parks and forests. Monica, on the other hand, stands locked shoulder with Nancy Pelosi's agenda. And I'll tell you why. More spending, $133 trillion of more spending. More taxes both on Montanans, your health care. Soft on crime. And it is true, Monica, about you're willing to release criminals. And you did defend a criminal, not only a criminal, but a child rapist. And in Montana we don't defend child rapists, we throw them in prison. And we certainly don't elect officials that stand to get them released. As far as energy goes. You can't kill American oil and gas because if you do, it will cause havoc. You want $10 a gallon gasoline, vote for for Monica. And John, you said you love Rand Paul, but you cannot be a Rand Paul fan unless you respect borders. And your comment that we should not have a border between Mexico and the U.S. is unsound, unsafe. Without a border, we don't have a country. So, look, this election's important because it will determine the direction of our country. There's different visions. My vision is I love this country. I respect this country. I want our schools to teach the right things. Puberty blockers. Gender transformations. Boys playing girl sports? No, I'm adamantly against it. And I hope you are too. So when you look at this election, I want you to think carefully about what you believe, because I do believe in America, and I believe that we can fix it. But also, I believe that there's two oars in a boat and I'm the right oar. And I do understand there's a left oar. In order to turn this country around we're going to have to work together. Otherwise, this country will fail. So with that, God bless and God bless America.

Monica Tranel: I grew up in eastern Montana as a sixth of ten children. I rode in the middle of our Olympic eight. As an Olympian, I took an oath to represent our country and to compete fairly. And I did that. I lived up to that oath. I understand as a lived experience the value and the power of the middle. And I know having been left behind on family trips, how easy it can be to overlook the middle. But it's the backbone of our democracy. And as we stand here in Butte, America, where my life changed forever because I became a mother here, I gave birth to my first daughter. I know that you have the story. You have the knowledge to lead the way in bringing the middle back together. What I have heard over and over and over again, as I have been on the trail through this new district, people are yearning for connection, for community, to work together, to face the immense challenges we have. And we can do that because we're Americans and we know how to step up and face hard times and challenges. And you, Butte, have shown us how to do that. And I commit to you to lead the way and you know that I will serve you here in Montana. You are sending me to Congress. 70% of my campaign donations come from you. Thank you. In contrast, 6% of Ryan's and his money comes from Montana. We serve the interests of those who have sent us there. We need to rebuild trust. We need to restore America, the middle class and privacy and freedom are what you are going to have on your ballot. So understand, I am the only candidate who will fight for your privacy, for your freedom, and to restore an affordable middle class. Please vote for me on November 8th and I will work for you. And I will make you proud to have me in Congress as your representative. Something we've not had for a long time.