Greg Gianforte, the Republican running to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in a May 25 special election for Montana’s lone House seat, seems to have gotten ahead of himself a little. He’s imitating many current House Republicans by hiding from the public:
Instead of appearing at large rallies or holding town hall meetings, Gianforte has relied on television ads to get his message out while presiding over coffee klatches, chamber of commerce mixers and unpublicized gatherings. While he has spoken one-on-one with news outlets, he has yet to hold the kind of media events that were common during his run for governor.
But maybe that visit from Donald Trump Jr. will really turn out the crowds. By contrast, Gianforte’s Democratic opponent, Rob Quist:
… a well-known musician, has hit the road hard with his populist message, campaigning in 40 of the state's 56 counties by using town halls on health care, roundtables with veterans and rallies with supporters. He will need the energy of his party's base and its activism to fuel his campaign.
This is another tough special election courtesy of a Donald Trump Cabinet appointment, and it’s another one Democrats are looking to make more competitive than expected.
Quist is obviously campaigning his ass off while Gianforte takes refuge with small groups of known supporters, but Quist will also need a strong campaign organization to continue mounting a strong challenge as national Republicans throw money at the race.
Can you chip in $3 to help elect Rob Quist?