Monica Tranel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Tranel on Vlogbrothers, 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Monica Joan Tranel May 4, 1966 Big Horn, Wyoming, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Republican (before 2020) Democratic (2020–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Greg Lind | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Gonzaga University (BA) Rutgers University, Camden (JD) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Campaign website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sports career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Monica Joan Tranel (also Tranel-Michini; born May 4, 1966) is an American rower, lawyer, and political candidate. She competed at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. A member of the Democratic Party, Tranel ran unsuccessfully for Montana's 1st congressional district in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Montana. She announced a bid for the same congressional seat in anticipation of the 2024 elections.[1] Before running for Congress, she was twice a candidate for the Montana Public Service Commission and sought election to the Helena City Commission.
Tranel was born in Big Horn, Wyoming,[2] on May 4, 1966.[3][4][5] She grew up across Montana, including in Miles City, Ashland, and Billings.[4] She graduated from Billings Central Catholic High School, where she competed in basketball and track.[6]
In 1988, Tranel earned a Bachelor of Arts from Gonzaga University. In 1991, she earned her Juris Doctor from Rutgers University–Camden.[7]
In 1991, Tranel started rowing in competition. In 1993, Tranel won a bronze medal in women's coxed four at the World Rowing Championships.[6]
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.[8][9] In 1995, Tranel won a silver media in the women's eight at the World Championships at the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course in Saint Catharines, Ontario.[6]
Tranel finished fourth in the women's eight at the 1996 Summer Olympics.[10][11][12][13] She also competed in the 2000 Summer Olympics, where she finished 12th in women's singles scull races.[14]
The University of Montana named one of their 40-foot (12 m) four-seat competition boats "The Tranel" in her honor.[15]
In 2015, Tranel placed 23rd in the Head of the Charles Regatta in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[6]
In 2004, as a Republican, Tranel sought election to the Montana Public Service Commission while working as a staff attorney at the commission.[16][17][18][19] She was defeated in the Republican primary.[20][16]
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.[18][21] She later left the Republican Party.[21]
From 2010 to 2013, Tranel served as a trustee for the Montana Bar Association. In 2015, Tranel ran for the Helena City Commission.[22][23]
In 2020, as a Democrat, Tranel again sought election to the Montana Public Service Commission.[16][24][25] She was defeated in the general election by Montana Senator Jennifer Fielder, a Republican.[26]
Tranel was the Democratic candidate for Montana's western congressional district, running against Ryan Zinke and John Lamb.[27][28][29][30][31] 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.[32] Tranel lost to Zinke in the general election, receiving 46% of the vote to Zinke's 50%.[33] In July 2023, Tranel became the first candidate to officially announce a bid for Montana's first congressional district in 2024.[1]
Tranel has nine siblings. She and her second husband, Jack Morris, had two daughters. Tranel described herself as "a single mother" in 2015.[3][22][34]
Starting in 2001, she lived in Helena, Montana, for several years.[6] She currently lives in Missoula with her husband, former state senator Greg Lind, and her three daughters.[35][36]
