Wealthy Republican businessman Greg Gianforte won Montana's House special election Thursday night, handily defeating Democrat Rob Quist—despite being charged with assaulting a reporter the day before.
The special election for the seat vacated by now-Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke drew attention and millions of dollars from both parties for the past several weeks. But the incident Wednesday that resulted in Gianforte allegedly assaulting Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs, breaking his glasses, and sending him to the hospital instantly changed the tone of the entire election.
Three of Montana's biggest newspapers rescinded their pro-Gianforte endorsements. The DCCC, House Democrats' campaign arm, released an ominous digital ad with Gianforte's face in black-and-white and the tagline, "Charged with a crime. No business being in Congress." House Speaker Paul Ryan called on Gianforte to apologize, saying, "I do not think this is acceptable behavior." (VICE News' Josh Tyrangiel, executive vice president of content, news, also released a statement condemning the alleged assault.) And despite a Wednesday statement where Gianforte's campaign spokesperson blamed "aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist" for the incident, Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault, which carries a fine of up to $500, six months in jail, or both.
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