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Thomas Weida, a retired Helena resident, announced he will seek the Democratic nomination for the seat occupied by Montana's lone U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke.

Weida, the eighth Democrat to make the announcement, said he decided to run after he realized Montanas core values are being threatened by party politics.

Rep. Ryan Zinke is waiting to be confirmed as President Donald Trumps nominee for interior secretary. If confirmed, Zinke will resign and the state will hold a special election in the following 100 days to choose a replacement.

The parties will hold a convention to select a candidate, with county-level committee members from each party deciding who runs in the special election.

Weida was raised in Deer Lodge and graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Montana in 1996. He has worked in management at UPS and later in construction and sales, which he said exposed him to the issues facing small business owners in the state.

Weida is the first to admit he lacks political experience and would have a lot to learn if elected. But hes confident in his ability to stand up for Montanans and make their voices heard as the states lone congressional representative.

Heres the thing. I dont think Im the most qualified politician for Montana, he said. I think I have chosen to live in this state and turned down better offers to move because I love the state and I love being part of the fabric.

He said he thinks most Montanans agree on core issues, such as keeping public lands public and creating good-paying jobs. He said hell also advocate for protecting social programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.

During the general election, many Republican constituents said they wanted an administration without career politicians and Weida said he thinks Democrats are also guilty of electing candidates to advance the party or who have been putting the same ideas forward.

Its been too much of the same, he said. Ive watched for the last nine elections as Democrats have put up candidates that make them feel good and feel good about themselves, but they dont work when it comes to a statewide election.

With only one representative in Montana, Weida said he can be the candidate that looks sensibly at the whole state and will prioritize the people over the party.

You cant play party politics when youre talking about one representative for an entire state, he said. 'Majority rules, minority rights' is a phrase I really believe in.

When asked what kind of specific solutions he had to major issues, such as health care, Weida said he was unsure.

The straight answer is none, he said. What I can say is Im vocal and accessible.

Weida said he wants to be able to tell his 14-year-old daughter he did everything in his power to protect the states values.

I want to pass on a state I was able to grow up in, he said.

Weida is hosting an event at Millers Crossing in Helena at 5 p.m. Monday to meet constituents and answer questions.

Other Democrats interested in the seat include state Rep. Amanda Curtis of Butte, state Rep. Kelly McCarthy of Billings, attorney John Meyer of Bozeman, musician Rob Quist of Creston, Gary Stein of Missoula, Link Neimark of Whitefish and Dan West of Missoula.

Republicans who are interested include former gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte of Bozeman, former Republican chairman Ken Miller of laurel, Dean Rehbein of Missoula, Sen. Ed Buttrey of Great Falls, Rep. Carl Glimm of Kila and Drew Turiano of East Helena.

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Helena Democrat Weida to join race for Zinke's seat - Helena Independent Record