26 May, 2017
Montana Republican Greg Gianforte narrowly beat a political novice to win a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, barely 24 hours after he was charged with assaulting a reporter.
Voters are deciding in the special election whether Republican Greg Gianforte or Democrat Rob Quist will fill the US House seat left vacant when Ryan Zinke resigned to join President Donald Trump's Cabinet as secretary of the Interior Department.
Gianforte, a 56-year-old software entrepreneur from Bozeman, allegedly grabbed and punched a reporter Wednesday evening at a campaign event, as the reporter tried to question him over the GOP's national health-care bill. I assume that, once Gianforte is certified as the victor by Montana state authorities, and then quits, this would trigger a new special election, which another Republican might win (though of course the Democratic candidate, Rob Quist, might prevail even then); if Gianforte quits now, then I expect that Quist will be declared the victor. Ryan said he didn't think Gianforte's behavior was "acceptable", but that the choice to elect him "will be made by the people of Montana". He added that Gianforte "should apologize".
"That's his model, Donald Trump", she said.
Montana's secretary of state's office says 37 percent of registered voters had returned absentee ballots as of Wednesday.
The Billings Gazette, The Helena Independent Record, and The Missoulian all announced they no longer endorse Gianforte last night after the Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs described the alleged assault and published audio from the scene. If convicted, he faces a possible maximum fine of $500 or up to six months in jail. The statement added that Jacobs' injuries did not meet the legal definition of felony assault.
Jacobs' recording, which contradicted claims by Gianforte's campaign that the "liberal journalist" was the aggressor, quickly became a key part of the unfolding story.
Gianforte lost a race to Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock last November by about four points even as Trump rolled to a 20 point victory in the state, and his negatives were still high from the attacks he tried unsuccessfully to deflect then.
Wednesday's incident occurred at a Gianforte campaign event in Bozeman, Mont., when Ben Jacobs, a reporter for The Guardian, approached Gianforte to ask him about a new Congressional Budget Office analysis of House-passed health care legislation.
"We'll talk to you about that later", Gianforte says on the recording, referring Jacobs to a spokesman.
But Gianforte just couldn't manage.
On the audio, Gianforte cannot be heard asking Jacobs to lower the recorder at any point during the incident.
"Get the hell out of here", Gianforte says. Gianforte's campaign accused Jacobs of "badgering".
"Greg then attempted to grab the phone that was pushed in his face", spokesman Shane Scanlon said.
At that point, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him. Scanlon's statement was disputed by a Fox News reporter.
The sheriff's office said Gianforte has until June 7 to appear in court on the charge. He would not answer questions about why he contributed or whether he regularly donates to campaigns, saying that "doesn't have anything to do with the incident". He said of the politician's account "The only thing that is factually correct.is my name and place of employment".
Afterward, three state newspapers rescinded their endorsements of Gianforte.
"We are also sick and exhausted - of Gianforte's incessant attacks on the free press", the Helena Independent Record wrote.
The charges themselves or even a conviction would not prevent Gianforte from serving in the House.
