Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) announced on March 2, 2026, that he will not seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026.

In a statement announcing his retirement, Zinke said, “Service is a duty that I will always hold sacred, and I am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference. As for my service and duty going forward, I have made the decision to leave office at the end of my fourth term and not seek re-election.”

In 2014, Zinke won his first term in the U.S. House in Montana’s At-Large Congressional District. The district was open that year because then-incumbent Rep. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) ran for the U.S. Senate rather than re-election in the U.S. House. In the general election, Zinke defeated John Lewis (D) 55% to 40%. 

Zinke won re-election in 2016 by 16 percentage points. However, he resigned from the U.S. House on March 1, 2017, to serve as the Secretary of the Interior in President Donald Trump’s (R) first administration.

In 2022, Zinke ran to represent Montana’s 1st Congressional District after the state was split into two separate districts following the 2020 Census apportionment process. He won the district by three percentage points. Zinke was one of 14 former members of the U.S. House who ran for a nonconsecutive term that year. He was the only former member that year who won their general election. Zinke won re-election in 2024 by eight percentage points.

As of Feb. 24, 2026, independent race forecasters The Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball have rated the 2026 general election for the district as Likely Republican. Inside Elections rated it Solid Republican.

As of March 2, 2026, Zinke is one of 61 members of the U.S. Congress — nine U.S. Senate members and 52 U.S. House members — who have announced they will not seek re-election to their current seats in 2026. 

Of the 52 U.S. House incumbents who are not seeking re-election:

• Twenty-five — 13 Democrats and 12 Republicans — are retiring from public office.
• Fifteen — seven Democrats and eight Republicans — are running for the U.S. Senate.
• Eleven — one Democrat and 10 Republicans — are running for governor.
• One Republican is running for state attorney general.

Compared to the last four election cycles, there were 42 retirement announcements at this point in 2024, 45 in 2022, 34 in 2020, and 46 in 2018. 

Between January 2011 and March 2026, Ballotpedia tracked 354 announcements by U.S. House members that they would not seek re-election. January had the highest number of members announcing they would not run for re-election at 61. The fewest announcements took place in June at 15.