Dem House candidate pushes tough on fentanyl stance after dismissing it as border issue

Democratic congressional candidate Monica Tranel appears to be changing her tune on the fentanyl crisis this cycle after previously suggesting that the deadly drug was not coming from the southern border.

Tranel, the Democratic candidate running in Montana's First Congressional District against Republican incumbent Rep. Ryan Zinke, recently released a campaign ad appearing tough on the border.

However, during her first congressional bid in 2022, Tranel claimed that the border crisis is unrelated to fentanyl trafficking while debating Zinke at the City Club Missoula.

"It is a significant issue where we are, but where it is coming from is not the southern border," Tranel said of fentanyl during the debate. "It's being made in China, and how it's getting here is a complex series of things that are happening, and shutting down the border is not going to reduce the fentanyl crisis."

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Democratic candidate Monica Tranel is running for Congress against Rep. Ryan Zinke. (William Campbell)

Shortly after Tranel's remarks at the debate, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that 36 million lethal doses of fentanyl had been removed from American communities between May to September 2022, with 35 cases linking directly to Mexican cartels.

As she makes another bid for the Republican-held seat in 2024, Tranel is appearing to shift her stance on the issue.

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"We have a real crisis at the border," Tranel said in a new campaign ad posted on X in September. "We need to secure the border, hire more border patrol agents, and go after the drug cartels to stop the flow of illegal drugs like fentanyl."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Port Director, Michael Humphries, presents photographs of seized fentanyl, weapons, and other illicit drugs during an interview at The Nogales-Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona on February 28, 2023.   (Kitra Cahana)

"Trainwreck Tranel is talking tough on the border now that it’s an election year, but Montanans know she will work directly under the Harris-Walz banner to unleash more crime and border chaos on Montanans while also supporting boys to play in girls sports," Madison Atkinson, Montana GOP spokesperson, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

In fiscal year 2023 alone, Border Patrol agents reported seizing enough fentanyl to kill the entire U.S. population.

Asked about the previous comment regarding fentanyl, Tranel told Fox News Digital that "we need to secure our border and solve the fentanyl crisis."

Tranel is running against Rep. Ryan Zinke, the Republican incumbent seeking re-election in Montana's First Congressional District. (Al Drago)

"We need to increase resources for border patrol and go after the cartels trafficking fentanyl, both in China and at the border," she told Fox. "The border bill would have increased resources for detection and stopping fentanyl from coming in. I support that bill and would have voted for it. Stopping the supply side of fentanyl is critical, and keeping it from coming in across any border is also critical. As a member of Congress, I would have voted to get that done. Ryan Zinke could have voted for that bill but did not, in order to play games and campaign on the issue rather than solve it."

"The border isn’t secure, and no one – including Rep. Zinke – has actually gotten the job done to fix it," Tranel said. "I’ll stand up to any Democrat or Republican who gets in the way. While Zinke cozies up to special interests and China, I’m focused on protecting our communities and stopping the flow of illegal drugs. Keeping Montana safe is more important than politics." 

Aubrie Spady is a Writer for Fox News Digital.