Monica Joan Tranel is an American

rower Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are ...

and lawyer. She competed at the

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. Tranel ran in the

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

and

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

U.S. House of Representatives elections in Montana.

Early life and education

Tranel was born and raised in Powder River Country, attending grade school in Miles City, Ashland and Broadview. She graduated from

Billings Central Catholic High School Billings Central Catholic High School is a private, Catholic high school in Billings, Montana, United States. It is one of three Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Great Falls–Billings. Background Billings Central Catholic opened in 1944 ...

, where she competed in basketball and track. Tranel earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) ( ) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges ...

and her

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

Rutgers University–Camden Rutgers University–Camden is one of three regional campuses of Rutgers University, a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. It is located in Camden, New Jersey. Founded in 1926 as the South Jersey Law ...

Rowing

Tranel finished fourth in the

women's eight An eight, abbreviated as an 8+, is a racing shell used in competitive rowing (crew). It is designed for eight rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars, and is steered by a coxswain, or "cox". Each of the eight rowers has one oar. The rowers ...

at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

. She also competed in the

, where she finished 12th in women's singles scull races. The

University of Montana The University of Montana (UM) is a public research university in Missoula, Montana, United States. UM is a flagship institution of the Montana University System and its second largest campus. Fall 2024 saw total enrollment hit 10,811, marki ...

named one of their four-seat competition boats "The Tranel" in her honor.

Political career

Tranel was the 2022 Democratic candidate for

Montana's 1st congressional district Montana's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the United States House of Representatives that was apportioned after the 2020 United States census. The first candidates ran in the 2022 United States House of Representatives ...

, running against

Ryan Zinke Ryan Keith Zinke ( ; born November 1, 1961) is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, Zinke served in the Montana Senate from 2009 to 2013 and as the U.S. re ...

and John Lamb. During the lead-up to the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Montana, American vlogger

Hank Green William Henry Green II (born May 5, 1980) is an American YouTuber, science communicator, novelist, Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian, and entrepreneur. He produces the YouTube channel Vlogbrothers with his older brother, author John Green, a ...

interviewed Tranel in

Missoula Missoula ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot River, Bitterroot and Blackfoot River (Montana), ...

and

Bozeman Bozeman ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The 2020 United States census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it Montana's fourth-largest city. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montan ...

. Tranel lost to Zinke in the general election, receiving 46.5% of the vote to Zinke's 49.6%. Tranel was the 2024 Democratic candidate for

, running against

in a reprise of the 2022 election. She lost with 44.6% of the vote to Representative Zinke's 52.3%.https://electionresults.mt.gov/resultsSW.aspx?type=FED&map=CTY

Personal life

Tranel has nine siblings and three daughters.

References

External links

Monica Tranel for Congress
campaign website {{DEFAULTSORT:Tranel, Monica 1966 births Living people American female rowers People from Big Horn, Wyoming Rowers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic rowers for the United States World Rowing Championships medalists for the United States Women in Montana politics Montana Democrats Montana Republicans Rutgers Law School alumni 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers American athlete-politicians 21st-century American women politicians Gonzaga University alumni Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections Candidates in the 2024 United States House of Representatives elections 20th-century American sportswomen