Voters react to Gianforte assault charge

Montana voters went to the polls Thursday to select a new congressman in a tight statewide race — one that may have grown tighter following reports and a misdemeanor citation alleging that Republican candidate Greg Gianforte body-slammed a reporter during a campaign event the night before.

Recent polls have shown the special-election race between Gianforte, Democrat Rob Quist and Libertarian Mark Wicks tightening between the two major-party candidates. But whether the national headline-grabbing story would affect the outcome remained an open question, with many votes already cast via absentee ballot ahead of Election Day.

At the Flathead County Fairgrounds in Kalispell, a steady stream of voters flowed through the voting booths late Thursday morning. And while an overwhelming majority of those that spoke to the Daily Inter Lake said that the Wednesday night incident didn’t change their vote, seven of 100 voters polled said the alleged assault had pushed them to vote for Quist.

“The violence — I was just on the fence and that just tipped me over,” said Lois Wisher, who ultimately cast her vote for Quist. “I don’t want a loose cannon defending my rights in Washington.”

The late-breaking news also pushed Tom Foreman to vote for the Democrat, noting, “I don’t support violence in any fashion.”

Not all voters were put off by Gianforte’s alleged assault on Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs, however, and several commended Gianforte’s response.

“It encouraged me,” Keith Lara said. “I hate reporters with their fake news. They’re all liberals.”

Another voter, Kevin Lake added, “If anything, it just reinforced how I voted.”

Others questioned the validity of the story, which included a first-hand account of the alleged incident by a Fox News reporter, and expressed a general distrust of the media.

“I’m so sick of people setting up politicians,” said Terri Smith. “People will do anything to sabotage a candidate.”

Shelley Draper thought the accounts were “bogus.”

“I hope no one changed their vote because of it,” she said.

BY THE time the news broke Wednesday night, a third of Flathead County’s registered voters had already cast absentee ballots — forgoing the option to choose a different candidate.

About half of registered voters in the county received absentee ballots this election, and more than 71 percent of those had already been turned in by the time the Flathead County Election Department opened its doors Thursday morning. Flathead County Clerk and Recorder Deb Pierson noted that the rate of returned ballots was significantly higher than normal.

Diana Carson, an election deputy for the county, said that by noon she had fielded five or six phone calls from voters asking if they could switch their votes after casting absentee ballots. But, she added, that’s fairly typical even in more conventional elections.

“The only way is if they still have their ballot in their hand,” she said.

State Democrats, however, attempted to sway still-undecided voters Thursday by seizing on Gianforte’s alleged election-eve blowup.

“Greg Gianforte’s actions, and the charge against him, are very troublesome. Violence has no place in our political discourse, and the people of Montana demand better from those who seek to serve our great state,” party director Nancy Keenan said in a statement. “Montanans must hold Greg Gianforte accountable, and the best way to do that is to get out and vote today for Rob Quist.”

The party also released a campaign ad that included audio of the alleged assault. The recording had been posted online Wednesday night by Jacobs.

Republicans largely stuck by their candidate, but some condemned the reported violence and several called on Gianforte to apologize. Gianforte remained silent throughout the day.

In an interview Thursday afternoon, Flathead County Republican Central Committee Chair Ronalee Skees said the county GOP had not revoked their endorsement of the candidate.

“Until we have all of the information, I’m not going to make any kind of judgment call at this time, except to say that it’s unfortunate that this has happened on the eve of such an important election,” Skees said.

She added that she didn’t expect the incident to affect the outcome of the race: “This is a very polarized special election, and I think that people have made their decisions pretty well ahead of time.”

IN WHITEFISH, the majority of residents headed to polling places Thursday fit that characterization.

For Jay Wolfe, the incident served to boost Gianforte’s appeal as a candidate.

“I think once in a while, you have to manhandle people to make them understand how the world works ... It shows he’s a real human being,” Wolfe said. “I can imagine having a recording device stuffed in my face, and it sounds like there was history, but they don’t ever report the history. They just report what happened. ... I was impressed with him stepping up and being a man for once.”

Haley Sorbel said the alleged altercation “reinforced” her choice in Quist.

“First of all, I think somebody who’s going to be in a political office needs to know how to deal with their emotions,” Sorbel said, adding, “It’s hard to trust someone who lashes out at people.”

Another Quist supporter weighed in on other possible implications of the incident.

“I think democracy thrives with a free press,” said Whitefish resident David Marx. “... The role of the press is to question our leaders. If you don’t want to answer their questions, just don’t answer them.”

And for Whitefish voter Jon Kofal — who did not disclose who he voted for — the incident did not alter his vote, but merely “enhanced the circus-like atmosphere” of the American political system.