Will Montana body slam cost Republican?
The physical altercation between Republican House candidate Greg Gianforte and a reporter has roiled the special election in Montana, where voters are casting their ballots on Thursday.
But while the clash on Wednesday led to a misdemeanor assault charge against Gianforte, it remains to be seen whether it will have an impact on the outcome of the special election matchup against Democrat Rob Quist.
Many Montanans vote early since polling places in the expansive, rural state can be far from home or work. As of late Wednesday evening, 260,000 voters had returned their early ballots.
That’s already a 15 percent increase from total early votes cast in the 2014 midterm elections, with more pouring in.
{mosads}Early votes regularly make up at least 60 percent of the total number of votes cast in the state. All of those ballots were sent in before the altercation, which could limit an electoral backlash against Gianforte.
Montana does not allow voters to change absentee votes after they have been submitted, a courtesy extended to voters in a handful of other states.
“It might be too late. With how many votes are already in, I’m not sure this necessarily changes the direction of the election,” one former GOP House aide told The Hill.
“Early voting started weeks ago. It’s easier said then done to manufacture a registration drive in less than 24 hours.”
The Secretary of State’s office said that around 1 p.m. local time, 2,300 people had registered for same-day voting.
Democrats have mobilized to try and maximize the electoral impact of the pre-Election Day scuffle.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee quickly crafted Facebook ads in Montana that include audio of the altercation between Gianforte and The Guardian’s Ben Jacobs. In that audio, Gianforte can be heard screaming at the reporter amid sounds of a physical altercation.
“Last night, Greg Gianforte disqualified himself from the honor of representing Montanans in Congress. Gianforte has been charged with assault — his only option at this point is to accept responsibility and end his campaign,” DCCC spokeswoman Meredith Kelly said in a statement.
“As he continues to lay low and hope people don’t see the news, the DCCC will do everything possible to make sure Montanans know the truth,” said Meredith Kelly of the DCCC.
Democrats are also highlighting the local blowback against Gianforte. The Billings Gazette, the Missoulian and the Helena Independent-Record all withdrew endorsements of the GOP candidate amid the assault charge.
Strategists from both parties had said that private polling showed a tightening race in recent days, with Quist within a few points of Gianforte in a state President Trump carried by 20 points.
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The race is being held to fill the seat vacated by Ryan Zinke, who is now Trump’s Interior secretary.
– This story was updated at 1:50 p.m. Lisa Hagen contributed.
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