The candidates vying for Montana’s western Congressional district met for the first time this election cycle in a sometimes contentious debate that aired this weekend.
Housing supply and affordability consistently ranks among Montanans’ top concerns these days.
Housing was a key issue during Saturday’s debate between Republican incumbent Ryan Zinke and Democratic challenger Monica Tranel.
Tranel opened the MTN televised debate by accusing Zinke of not only doing nothing to solve Montana’s housing crisis during his congressional career, but also of, "profiting off our pain. He is operating two Airbnb’s in Whitefish, charging us $26,000 a month. This is exploiting an issue that we need to have fixed for personal enrichment, and we need a change. We need different.”
Zinke fired back that Tranel has spent years falsely attacking him, his family and his businesses. He then expressed frustration with her campaign ads featuring his Airbnb properties.
"She entered our property and filmed — and jumped on our bed by the way. Who does that? Now she films in our backyard, on our street. You know what? My family no longer feels safe,” Zinke said.
Zinke says Congress can reduce housing costs by lowering government spending, reducing inflation and building out local infrastructure.
Tranel’s suggestions include elimination of the federal chassis requirement mandating manufactured homes maintain their portability, and separating housing costs from the cost of the land.
When asked about whether they support the extension of former Trump administration tax cuts, Tranel said she supports cuts for the middle class, not extending tax breaks for wealthy corporations.
Zinke insisted tax breaks must be extended to Montana farms, ranches and homeowners, while defending some corporate tax cuts, saying corporations provide many good jobs and must remain globally competitive.
On abortion, Tranel supports codifying abortion rights that were available under the now overturned Roe v Wade. Zinke describes himself as a pro-life Catholic who opposes a blanket federal ban on abortion and supports exceptions for rape, incest and the health and wellbeing of the mother.
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report recently shifted Montana’s western district race from ‘Likely Republican’ to “Leans Republican’
The U.S. House district is a three way race and includes Libertarian Dennis Hayes, who was not on the debate stage.
