Monica Tranel

Monica Tranel
Tranel on Vlogbrothers, 2022
Personal details
BornMonica Joan Tranel
1966 (age 59–60)
Big Horn, Wyoming, U.S.
PartyRepublican (before 2006)
Democratic (2006–present)
SpouseGreg Lind
Children3
EducationGonzaga University (BA)
Rutgers University, Camden (JD)
WebsiteCampaign website
Sports career
Medal record
Women's rowing
Representing  United States
World Rowing Championships
1995 Tampere W8+
1994 Indianapolis W8+
1994 Indianapolis W4-
1999 St. Catharines W8+
1993 Račice W4x

Monica Joan Tranel (born 1966) is an American rower, lawyer, and political candidate. She competed at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. Tranel ran unsuccessfully for Montana's 1st congressional district as a member of the Democratic Party in the 2022 and 2024 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Montana.[1] Before running for Congress, she was twice a candidate for the Montana Public Service Commission and sought election to the Helena City Commission. In February 2026, Tranel announced her candidacy for the Montana House of Representatives, seeking to represent the 92nd district in the 2026 election.[2]

Early life and education

Tranel was born in Big Horn, Wyoming,[3][4][5][6] and grew up across Montana, including in Miles City, Ashland, and Billings.[5] She graduated from Billings Central Catholic High School, where she competed in basketball and track.[7]

Tranel enrolled at Gonzaga University. She tried out for Gonzaga's basketball team but suffered a knee injury.[8] She joined the school's rowing team as an alternative.[8] In 1988, Tranel graduated from Gonzaga with a Bachelor of Arts.[9] In 1991, she earned her Juris Doctor from Rutgers University–Camden.[9]

Rowing

In 1992, Tranel did not qualify for the United States Olympic trials in double sculls.[10] In 1993, she won a bronze medal in women's quad sculls at the World Rowing Championships.[11]

In 1994, Tranel was rowing in the Fairmount Rowing Association. She competed in the World Rowing Championships in Tampere, Finland, that year, where her team won gold.[12][13] In 1995, Tranel won a silver medal in the women's eight at the World Championships at the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course in Saint Catharines, Ontario.[7]

Tranel finished fourth in the women's eight at the 1996 Summer Olympics.[14][15][16][17] She also competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics, where she finished 12th in women's singles scull races.[18]

The University of Montana named one of their 40-foot (12 m) four-seat competition boats "The Tranel" in her honor.[19]

Tranel was still rowing competitively in 2015, placing 23rd in the Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[7]

Local and state-level offices

In 2004, Tranel unsuccessfully sought election as a Republican to the Montana Public Service Commission while working as a staff attorney at the commission.[20][21][22][23]

After working at the commission for four years, Tranel worked for Republican Senator Conrad Burns in Washington, D.C., for a short time, before returning to Butte, Montana, in 2005 and opening a private practice in 2006.[21][24] She later left the Republican Party.[24]

From 2010 to 2013, Tranel served as a trustee for the Montana Bar Association. In 2015, Tranel again ran for office, this time for the Helena City Commission, as a Democrat.[25][26][23]

In 2020, as a Democrat, Tranel again sought election to the Montana Public Service Commission.[23][27][28] She was defeated in the general election by Montana Senator Jennifer Fielder, a Republican.[29]

In February 2026 as a supervisor attorney at the public defender's office in Missoula, Tranel submitted a burglary defense case filing composed with the help of large language model tools. After the county prosecutor flagged the filing as AI-generated without disclosure, Tranel withdrew it. Concerns had been raised in 2025 about insufficient fact-checking of, and possible AI hallucinations contained in such documents, and the county policy subsequently required disclosure.[30]

U.S. House of Representatives

Tranel was the Democratic candidate for Montana's 1st congressional district, running against Ryan Zinke and John Lamb.[31][32][33][34][35] During the lead-up to the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Montana, American vlogger Hank Green interviewed Tranel in Missoula and Bozeman.[36] Tranel lost to Zinke in the general election, receiving 46.5% of the vote to Zinke's 49.6%.[37]

In July 2023, Tranel became the first candidate to officially announce a bid for Montana's first congressional district in 2024.[1] In a reprise of the 2022 election, she lost to Zinke with 44.6% of the vote to Representative Zinke's 52.3%.[38]

Montana Legislature

In February 2026, Tranel announced she was running for the Montana state legislature, representing House District 92.[39]

Personal life

Tranel has nine siblings. She married champion rower Fred Michini in May 1993.[4][17] She and her second husband, Jack Morris, had two daughters. Tranel described herself as "a single mother" in 2015.[4][25][40]

Starting in 2001, she lived in Helena, Montana, for several years.[7] She currently lives in Missoula with her husband, former state senator Greg Lind, and her three daughters.[41][42]

References

  1. ^ a b Kimbel-Sannit, Arren (July 14, 2023). "Tranel taking another run at Zinke, western district". Montana Free Press. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  2. ^ Larson Lea, Seaborn (February 26, 2026). "Tranel announces bid for Montana Legislature, will face Democratic primary". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  3. ^ "Monica Tranel Michini". Sports Reference. 2000. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Larimer, David (July 25, 1993). "Central graduate won't forget summer of '93". The Billings Gazette. p. 19. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Q&A with U.S. House candidate Monica Tranel". Daily Inter Lake. May 23, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  6. ^ Lundquist, Laura (May 6, 2022). "Western district congressional candidates discuss climate, abortion, housing in Missoula". KPAX. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d Synness, Curt (October 20, 2015). "Still on the water". The Independent-Record. pp. B1. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Ford, Bob (August 6, 2000). "Adopted home that she loves back". The Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. C1, C17. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  9. ^ a b Harrington, John (May 8, 2009). "Disappointment on Olympic Stage Helped Shape Helena Attorney's Career". Independent Record. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "The best she can be". The Montana Standard. September 12, 2000. pp. B1, B5. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  11. ^ "World Rowing Championship". International Rowing Federation. Archived from the original on October 9, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  12. ^ "Billings rower wins gold". The Billings Gazette. August 28, 1995. p. 14. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  13. ^ Brandschain, Mayer (July 4, 1994). "Michini victorious in single sculls". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 49. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  14. ^ Walker, Teresa M. (July 25, 1996). "Michini, U.S. women's eight make rowing finals". The Missoulian. p. 27. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  15. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Monica Tranel". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020.
  16. ^ Monica Tranel at World Rowing
  17. ^ a b Blanchette, John (July 23, 1996). "Whatever floats her boat". The Spokesman-Review. p. 27. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  18. ^ Cohen, Betsy (September 12, 2000). "The best she can be". The Montana Standard. p. 9. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  19. ^ Chaney, Rob (January 28, 2006). "It's big, it floats, and it's looking for a new home". The Missoulian. p. 9. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  20. ^ Dennison, Mike (March 26, 2004). "Candidates line up to beat filing deadline". Great Falls Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  21. ^ a b Harrington, John (May 8, 2009). "Golden Opportunity". The Independent-Record. p. 21. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  22. ^ McCartney, Leslie (June 5, 2004). "McCrone, Tranel vie for Republican spot". The Montana Standard. p. 13. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  23. ^ a b c D'Angelo, Chris (October 31, 2022). "A Scrappy Environmental Attorney Is Looking To Keep Ryan Zinke From Returning To DC". HuffPost. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  24. ^ a b Kimbel-Sannit, Arren (July 28, 2021). "Former Gov. Schweitzer endorse Monica Tranel for Congress". Great Falls Tribune. pp. A5. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  25. ^ a b "Q&A with Helena City Commission candidates". The Independent-Record. October 2, 2015. pp. A8. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  26. ^ "HCTV to broadcast city commission candidate forum". The Independent-Record. September 30, 2015. pp. A8. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  27. ^ State Bar of Montana: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.montanabar.org/resource/collection/EAA30F23-4767-49DA-BBE7-152CF93C8535/October2011MTLawyer.pdf
  28. ^ "Missoula attorney enters race for Montana PSC with clean energy platform". The Missoula Current News - Daily News in Missoula Montana. September 30, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  29. ^ "2020 General Election - November 3, 2020". Montana Secretary of State. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  30. ^ Smith, Griffen; Wilson, Sam (February 26, 2026). "Defense attorney Monica Tranel caught violating AI rules in case filing". The MSU Exponent. Missoulian. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  31. ^ Kimbel-Sannit, Arren (August 8, 2022). "Tranel and Zinke trade jabs in Congressional debate". Montana Free Press. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  32. ^ Schubert, Keith (August 15, 2022). "MFPE endorses Democrat Monica Tranel in Western Congressional race". Daily Montanan. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  33. ^ Szpaller, Keila. "Monica Tranel, Ryan Zinke trade barbs at Missoula congressional candidate debate". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  34. ^ "Candidate Filing - Montana Secretary of State". app.mt.gov. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
  35. ^ Szpaller, Keila (August 27, 2022). "Zinke still pegged as winner, but analysts see 'vulnerabilities'". Daily Montanan. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  36. ^ Szpaller, Keila (September 19, 2022). "Hank Green hosts event with Monica Tranel in Missoula, will host Bozeman event in October". The Missoula Current News - Daily News in Missoula Montana. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  37. ^ KUGLIN, TOM; MICHELS, HOLLY (November 10, 2022). "AP: Zinke wins western House seat". Helena Independent Record. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  38. ^ "Montana Secretary of State". Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  39. ^ "Tranel announces bid for Montana Legislature, will face Democratic primary". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. February 26, 2026. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  40. ^ Staff, The Gazette (July 12, 2000). "Former Central athlete Michini lands return trip to Olympics". Billings Gazette. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  41. ^ "Monica Tranel for Congress Monica Tranel for Congress". Monica Tranel for Montana. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  42. ^ Wilson, Sam (June 4, 2022). "Western district candidates allege shady campaign finance activity". The Montana Standard. pp. A6. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
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