Zinke, former Trump Interior secretary, wins U.S. House seat - Edison Research

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ryan Zinke, a former secretary of the U.S. Interior Department under then-President Donald Trump, who stepped down in 2018 amid ethics probes, won a U.S. House of Representatives seat in Montana, Edison Research projected on Thursday.

Zinke, a Republican who served in the House from 2015 to 2017 before joining the Trump administration, beat Democrat Monica Tranel, an environmental lawyer, and John Lamb, a Libertarian, in the Montana District 1 race.

Fellow Republican Trump beat Democrat Joe Biden in Montana by 16 percentage points in 2020. Republicans edged closer on Thursday to securing a majority in the House while control of the Senate hinged on a few tight races, two days after congressional elections.

Zinke, a retired Navy SEAL, resigned in December 2018 under intense scrutiny of his use of security details, chartered flights and a real estate deal. He repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and said at the time he could not justify spending thousands of dollars defending himself and his family against "false allegations."

As secretary of the Interior, which oversees America's vast public lands, Zinke pursued Trump's "energy dominance" agenda to promote oil drilling and coal mining by expanding federal leasing, cutting royalty rates, and easing land protections despite environmental protests.

On his first day as secretary he rode to the Interior Department on a horse named Tonto and said he would work to ensure public lands are managed and preserved in a way that benefits all Americans for generations.

"Truth matters, and now it's time to fight for freedom and protect our way of life in Montana," Zinke said in a release about the election.

After resigning from the Interior Department, Zinke joined the board of mining exploration company U.S. Gold Corp.

During his first House term, Zinke served on the chamber's Natural Resources and Armed Service committees.