Ryan Zinke fancies himself a snake wrangler.
The former Trump-era interior secretary, and current GOP nominee for Montana’s new U.S. House seat, is campaigning on a promise to, you guessed it, take on the proverbial “swamp” of bureaucrats and so-called “deep state” insiders in Washington, D.C. — a platform that seems to implicitly acknowledge the Trump administration’s failure to get the job done.
“When you drain the swamp, it exposes serpents. And they attack!” Zinke said in a campaign-style video posted in May. “As interior secretary, I got an extra dose of fake news and false charges. And now, running for Congress, it’s happening again.”
Zinke’s critics, including his Democratic opponent, Monica Tranel, see him as a creature of that very swamp — someone who was plagued by scandal and ethical shortfalls, and who ultimately cashed out with powerful special interests after leaving his government post.
On Thursday, Tranel released her third snake-themed campaign advertisement, titled “Snake on a Plane.” The ad sums up the findings of several Interior Department watchdog investigations into Zinke’s conduct, including his use of private planes.
“I’ve spent my career taking on snakes like Ryan Zinke,” Tranel says in the ad, standing at an airstrip and holding a snake in a shovel. “In Congress, I’ll take on anyone who tries to rip off Montana.”
Zinke, Tranel and Libertarian John Lamb are vying for Montana’s newly created House seat, which covers the western part of the state.
If elected, Zinke has said his first piece of legislation would be the so-called Federal Employee Accountability & Reduction Act, or FEAR Act, which would aim to gut federal agencies of public servants and put limits on how long a person can hold a federal job. The 10-point legislative framework is the culmination of years of his own self-victimization.
In an email to a Montana resident a few months after being sworn in as Trump’s interior chief, Zinke grumbled about the pace of his staff and declared that “the resistance movement is alive and well.”
“Draining the swamp is a full tome [sic] job,” he wrote. “We will win.”
Tranel, a two-time Olympic rower and environmental lawyer, has leaned into snake-themed attacks.
Another advertisement ahead of the June primary summarized the findings of a February report from Interior’s internal watchdog, which concluded that Zinke violated ethics rules and misused his office with his continued involvement in a real estate project in his hometown of Whitefish, Montana, and that he lied to investigators about it.
Tranel appears in the ad, carrying a motionless snake on a shovel. “Growing up on a ranch in Montana, I learned how to deal with snakes,” she says. “And we have a real poisonous one in Ryan Zinke.”
But surely, Tranel would not have killed a snake just to make a point about Zinke.
Sam Sterling, Tranel’s campaign manager, clarified that no snakes were harmed in the making of the ad. He told HuffPost the campaign rented the reptile from a “kids’ birthday party place,” and that the animal cooperated for the filming by lying still on the shovel.
More recently, Zinke took to Twitter ahead of last week’s televised candidate debate to post this picture:
The photo is of an unofficial secretarial portrait, first unveiled in 2020, that is nothing more than Zinke’s face pasted onto fantasy artist Frank Frazetta’s painting “Death Dealer 6.” It depicts Zinke riding on horseback through flames, wielding an ax and fighting a massive serpent — no doubt a reference to the Trump administration’s “drain the swamp” rhetoric.
Zinke’s post provided more fodder for the Tranel camp.
“Ryan Zinke said, ‘When you drain the swamp, it exposes serpents.’ He even had this portrait made,” Tranel said in yet another snake–centric ad released this week. “Are you kidding me? Ryan Zinke is the biggest snake of them all.”
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.