Ken Miller Goes After Flip Flopping Ryan Zinke

I’ve been wondering when the conservative wing of the Republican Party would come out swinging against Ryan Zinke for his moderate record, and it appears that former gubernatorial candidates Rick Hill and Ken Miller are leading the charge. Montana Streetfighter has a piece up today about Hill, and the following e-mail from Ken Miller shows that Zinke probably can’t count on the support of those inclined to wear neon.

In an e-mail to his supporters, Ken Miller takes Zinke to task for what he calls a pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-public school, and pro-environment record.

On Political Courage:

My concern lies with State Senator Ryan Zinke. Over the past few years I have developed many concerns with Ryan, which I will address in the following:

America is continually finding itself at a crossroads on many fiscal and social issues.  We need much more than just a “republican,” but a conservative leader who stands firm with conviction.  As a State Senator, there is just one consistent thread throughout his tenure: inconsistency.  He asserted himself as a John Kerry protégé flip-flop-flip-flop-flip-flopper.

Wall Street fat cats and DC big wigs are pumping hundreds of thousands of dollars of outside money to “re-brand” him. I intend to be a resource to Montana voters to make an informed decision.  If you are as concerned as I am about the direction and leadership of our state and county, then after doing your own research, I encourage you to share this with your family, friends, co-workers, and fellow Montanans.

On Ethics:

While no candidate will have the same position as you every single time, there is a common denominator with Senator Zinke that no Montanan should support. That being a list of ethical concerns that trump any positions he may take.

On Coordination with his Super PAC:

Senator Zinke was a founder and chairman of SOFA, a “Super PAC,” gathering large out of state, special interest money.  He was a major leader and fundraiser for SOFA up to his candidacy.  Now SOFA is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting his candidacy.   While he claims no coordination between the groups, both conservatives and liberals alike are taken aback by this shady affiliation.

Ken Miller and I don’t often agree. In fact, we may not ever have agreed before, but this e-mail captures a lot of what is problematic about the Zinke campaign, a campaign run with marginal ethics, limited consistency, and political incoherency.

If you appreciate an independent voice holding Montana politicians accountable and informing voters, and you can throw a few dollars a month our way, we would certainly appreciate it.