“Weak”: Greg Gianforte’s Primary Night Victory Spells Trouble for Montana GOP

After weeks of fellow Republicans shouting warnings about the perils of nominating an opponent to public lands with few ties to the state, last night Greg Gianforte managed to eke out a win. Nearly half of all Republicans voted for another candidate highlighting Gianforte’s weakness with his base. The response from independent observers is clear —  Gianforte is bad news for the GOP: 

• “Fox, who was the best-performing Republican in MT in 2016 (was reelected with 68%), would have been a stronger nominee.” – J. Miles Coleman, Associate Editor, Sabato’s Crystal Ball
• “Fox would have been more formidable gen elex candidate, but $$$ wins out.” – Jessica Tayor, Cook Political Report Senate & Govs Editor
• “Rs arguably would be better off with AG Tim Fox as nominee…” – Kyle Kondik, Managing Editor, Sabato’s Crystal Ball
• “This is Gianforte’s second try as MT’s GOP gubernatorial nominee. He lost to incumbent Gov. Steve Bullock by ~4 points in 2016.” – Aaron Navarro, CBS News Gubernatorial Reporter 

“Gianforte is a uniquely divisive figure who, despite spending millions in positive advertising, remains the most unpopular federally elected official in Montana,” said DGA National Press Secretary Jerusalem Demsas. “Gianforte’s attacks on public access, failure to show up to work, and support of a sales tax are anathema to Montanans. We don’t need a crystal ball to see the future here: Greg Gianforte lost in 2016 and he’ll lose again.”