Busse Joins Crowded Democratic Primary for Montana’s Western Congressional Seat
The Kalispell Democrat is the second candidate to enter the race this week, and the fourth overall. The winner of the primary will likely take on incumbent U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican, in the general election this November.
By Mariah Thomas
Ryan Busse, a Kalispell Democrat, entered the fray Thursday for a chance to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Whitefish Republican.
Busse announced his campaign Thursday in a video posted to social media. In the video, Busse touched on several Democratic talking points: affordability, healthcare and public lands. Affordability, in particular, has served as a focus for Democrats, who point to 2025 electoral victories where the issue was a winning one for left-leaning candidates.
“Wasn’t that long ago I could see a way our boys can move back here, make a life for themselves,” Busse said. “Now I don’t know. Feels hard. Everything costs more: groceries, housing, healthcare and it’s not an accident. Montana used to be a place where there were wealthy people, but there were wealthy people who wanted to fit in. Now they’re buying our places up … They’re no longer fitting into our state. They’re trying to buy our state.”
Busse previously ran for governor in 2024, losing his bid for the office against Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte. He has never held political office.
For 25 years, Busse worked as a salesman for Kimber, a firearms company, before leaving his position as vice president of sales in 2020 and writing a book called “Gunfight.” In the memoir, he criticized the firearm industry, arguing it played a role in radicalizing the nation and sowing seeds of division. He has also served as a volunteer board member and board chair for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and Montana Conservation Voters, along with serving as a senior advisor for the Giffords organization. That organization, named for former U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., who survived a 2011 assassination attempt, is dedicated to ending gun violence.
Busse joins a crowded Democratic primary field. It includes Russell Cleveland, a rancher and Navy veteran from St. Regis; West Point grad and former Montana Farmers’ Union chief of staff Matt Rains, of Simms; and Missoula smokejumper and local union leader Sam Forstag, who jumped into the race earlier this week.
Montana’s western congressional seat is widely viewed as Democrats’ best chance to win a high-profile race in a state that has veered more toward the right in recent election cycles. But experts have said winning the seat is likely to be an uphill climb for a Democrat.
The winner of the primary will likely face off against U.S. Rep. Zinke.
Zinke first won election to the U.S. Congress as Montana’s at-large representative in 2015 and again in 2017. President Donald Trump tapped Zinke to serve as the Secretary of the Interior in his first administration, a position Zinke held until his 2018 resignation. Zinke has served as the western district’s representative since 2023. He bested Democratic challenger Monica Tranel in both 2022 and 2024, and has already clinched an endorsement from President Donald Trump for his 2026 reelection bid.
Busse’s campaign released a Tulchin Research poll alongside his campaign’s launch, based on 424 likely voters in Montana’s first congressional district. The poll showed Busse with a 47%-43% lead over Zinke, though that lead is within the poll’s 4.76% margin of error.
Candidate filing for Montana’s primary election closes on March 4, and the primary election is slated for June 4. This year’s general election takes place Nov. 3.