In a post-2017 Presidential Election society, leaders of racist groups are comfortable in public and elected officials who assault reporters maintain their positions of power. Men like Greg Gianforte, who is now a member of the House as elected by the people of Montana, do things that can be considered both morally and socially wrong.

In the case of Greg Gianforte, there are some varying viewpoints regarding what unfolded, which caused him to lose some voters while maintaining others. When giving a speech following his win, he apologized for his actions against the Guardian reporter, Ben Jacobs.

What did Greg Gianforte do?

Gianforte ran an election campaign for the Montana House Seat, but what occurred in the final days of the campaign would come as a surprise to many. According to Ben Jacobs, and later confirmed by a Fox News reporter, the now-house member body slammed Jacobs. The reporter was asking the candidate questions, a recognized part of a journalist's job, regarding healthcare. Some claim, however, that the questioning bordered on badgering, defending the actions of Gianforte. Some of his voters, such as Karen and Terry Screnar, even believe that Gianforte was "set up," as reported by CNN.

The charges include Greg Gianforte breaking the reporter's glasses and yelling “get the hell out of here.” Jacobs recorded audio of the events as they unfolded, which was later played on major news stations.

While the audio recording can be considered damaging, there is no recorded visual of the assault against Jacobs.

How did this affect the special election?

Speaker Paul Ryan called for an apology to Ben Jacobs and determined that Montana voters would decide the fate of the candidate.

Since then, many have voiced their opinion of the incident online and through social media.

Some of his endorsers rescinded their endorsements after the assault charges were filed, but many of his voters remained steadfast.

This loyalty is further exemplified by his win and entry into his now position as a member of the House with over fifty percent of the vote.

This race could, in fact, be considered close by some. Challenger Rob Quist retained just over forty-four percent of the vote. Even if there had been no third party candidate, Quist would still technically have fewer votes than Gianforte, and less than fifty percent of the vote -- assuming that all those who voted for the third party candidate would not vote for Gianforte.

However, all a candidate needs to win a Special Election is over fifty perfect of the vote. As Gianforte won over half of the total votes, he would still have won the position in Montana.
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