Greg Gianforte (R), the Republican candidate in a hotly contested special House election in Montana, “was charged with assaulting a journalist on Wednesday at what was to be a final rally in Bozeman on the eve of the vote,” the New York Times reports.

“Three of the state’s largest newspapers, The Billings Gazette, The Missoulian and The Helena Independent Record, quickly rescinded their endorsements of Mr. Gianforte. But prospects that the altercation could tip the race to the Democrat, Rob Quist, were complicated by Montana’s early-voting tradition: Over half the estimated total ballots in the contest had been returned by Wednesday.”

The eyewitness account by Fox News reporters is really remarkable. </s> MISSOULA, Montana — Republican candidate Greg Gianforte’s alleged “body slam” of a reporter Wednesday night might have shaken up expectations for a special election for Montana’s single seat in the House, but a large percentage of those expected to vote have already turned in their ballots.

As of Wednesday night, 259,558 ballots have been returned, said Derek J. Oestreicher, the Director of Elections and Voter Services in the Office of the Montana Secretary of State. That number is of 357,596 absentee ballots sent out, meaning about 73 percent of absentee ballots are in.

Since audio of the scuffle surfaced, Montana’s Secretary of State office has been getting calls and questions asking if voters can come in and change their vote. Under Montana law, however, ballots that have mailed in and received by county election administrators are considered votes received and cannot be changed.

Missoula County election administrator Rebecca Connors says she got a dozen phone calls just this morning from voters wanting to change their vote. Had the audio with Jacobs not happened, she would have had zero, Connors told CNN.

So far the raw number of early ballots returned in this special election are higher than the 2014 midterm. In 2014, 225,136 Montanans voted absentee in the midterms total.

Just like the national trend, more Montanans are choosing to request absentee ballots. So while the raw numbers show more absentee voters already, the reality is that a smaller percentage of the total absentee ballots out there have been returned. In the 2014 midterm, 88 percent of the absentee ballots were returned. Keep in mind that in Montana, voters can deliver their absentee ballots on Election Day. How many get delivered is a key question, and predicting that in a special election can be tricky.

Of approximately 700,000 Montana registered voters overall, 37 percent cast their vote early, Oestreicher said. This is before in person voting began Thursday.

Montanans can register to vote and vote on the same day so the 700,000 overall registered voters could rise. Polls are open until 10 p.m. ET.

Gianforte has been charged with misdemeanor assault after he allegedly “body slammed” a reporter from the Guardian and broke his glasses on Wednesday night. The reporter, Ben Jacobs, was attempting to ask Gianforte about Republicans’ plans for health care and interrupted a Fox News interview as they were setting up. Gianforte’s spokesman in a statement later blamed the altercation on Jacobs’ “aggressive behavior.” </s> BOZEMAN, Mont. - Thursday's nationally-watched election for Montana's sole congressional seat got a last-minute twist when the Republican candidate, Greg Gianforte, was charged with misdemeanour assault for grabbing a reporter by the neck and throwing him to the ground.

Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin made the announcement shortly before midnight Wednesday in a written statement, about six hours after the attack on reporter Ben Jacobs of The Guardian. Gianforte would face a maximum $500 fine or 6 months in jail if convicted. The statement added that Jacobs' injuries did not meet the legal definition of felony assault.

Gianforte was in a private office preparing for an interview with Fox News when Jacobs came in without permission, campaign spokesman Shane Scanlon said.

The Fox News crew watched in astonishment as, after Jacobs pressed him on the GOP health care bill, "Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him," Fox News reporter Alicia Acuna wrote in an article . She added that Gianforte then began to punch Jacobs.

In an audio recording posted by the Guardian, the reporter asks the congressional candidate about the GOP's health care bill, which was just evaluated hours earlier by the Congressional Budget Office.

"We'll talk to you about that later," Gianforte says on the recording, referring Jacobs to a spokesman.

When Jacobs says that there won't be time, Gianforte says "Just--" and there is a crashing sound. Gianforte yells, "The last guy who came here did the same thing," and a shaken-sounded Jacobs tells the candidate he just body-slammed him.

"Get the hell out of here," Gianforte says.

The incident is a last-minute curveball in Thursday's race, which was partly seen as a referendum on Donald Trump's presidency. The majority of voters were expected to have already cast ballots through early voting, and it was unclear how much of an effect the assault charge would have on the election results.

Gianforte and Democrat Rob Quist, who declined to comment, are seeking to fill the state's seat in the U.S. House left vacant when Ryan Zinke resigned to join Trump's Cabinet as secretary of the Interior Department.

Gianforte, a wealthy businessman, lost a race against Montana's Democratic governor in November while Trump won the state by 20 points. In the congressional race, Gianforte has tried to tie himself to the president and been boosted by visits from Vice-President Mike Pence and Donald Trump, Jr.

Hours before Wednesday's assault, the Gianforte campaign sent out a last-minute fundraising appeal to its supporters, saying the outcome "will determine whether we pass Donald Trump's America First agenda or if the fake news media and the national Democrats will win, keeping Obama's reckless policies in place."

Democrats were hoping an upset would send a message to the GOP that Trump's souring approval ratings could damage their political fortunes even in deep red states.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced that it would launch as many Facebook ads as possible about the assault, targeting Montana Democrats who might not otherwise vote Thursday. The Committee called for Gianforte to quit the race and for the Republican Party to denounce him publicly.

Requests for comment went unanswered Wednesday night from House Speaker Paul Ryan and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Scott Sales, the Republican president of Montana's state senate, unsuccessfully vied against Gianforte for his party's congressional nomination. On Wednesday evening, he said he could not understand why the scuffle took place.

"There's always two sides to a story, but this doesn't look good," Sales said. "It's not what you want to see happen on the eve of an election."

The Gianforte campaign Wednesday night released a statement blaming the incident on Jacobs. It contends he "aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg's face and began asking badgering questions" before being asked to leave.

Gianforte asked Jacobs to lower a phone that was being used as an audio recorder, then tried to grab it, the campaign said in a statement. Jacobs then grabbed Gianforte's wrist and both fell to the ground, Scanlon said.

The 45-second recording does not contain a request from Gianforte that Jacobs lower his phone. Acuna, the Fox News reporter, wrote that "at no point did any of us who witnessed this assault see Jacobs show any form of physical aggression toward Gianforte."

The sheriff's office said Gianforte has until June 7 to appear in court on the charge.

Federal records show that the sheriff donated $250 to Gianforte's congressional campaign in March. In his statement, Gootkin confirmed the donation but said, "This contribution has nothing to do with our investigation, which is now complete."

As a candidate, he has already had to apologize for his treatment of the press after an incident last month at a meeting of a Christian group where a man complained about reporters and said he wanted to "wring their necks."

Gianforte pointed out a reporter covering the meeting and said, "It seems like there is more of us than there is of him," according to the Helena Independent Record newspaper. He later said it was a joke and the reporter in the room laughed with everyone else.

The Guardian is a British liberal newspaper that opened a U.S. edition 10 years ago. Its U.S. editor, Lee Glendenning, said in a statement: "The Guardian is deeply appalled by how our reporter, Ben Jacobs, was treated in the course of doing his job as a journalist while reporting on the Montana special election. We are committed to holding power to account and we stand by Ben and our team of reporters for the questions they ask and the reporting that is produced." </s> Montana voters are at the polls as the aftermath of an altercation between the Republican congressional candidate and a reporter unfolds.

Nominee Greg Gianforte was charged Wednesday evening with misdemeanor assault against Ben Jacobs, a reporter for The Guardian. The incident has drawn extra attention to the race to replace Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, considered a bellwether, in its final hours.

It's unclear how much the turn of events will impact the outcome of the contest between Gianforte and Democratic nominee Rob Quist, especially after many voters had cast their ballots early. House Speaker Paul Ryan has said Gianforte should apologize, while other Republican lawmakers have called the incident "out of character."

Health care has been a key topic in the race — and was in fact the subject of Jacobs' question when his exchange with Gianforte turned violence. According to audio provided by Jacobs, he asks Gianforte for his reaction to the Congressional Budget Office's report on the American Health Care Act. Gianforte had said previously he didn't want to weigh in on the Republican health care bill until he saw the CBO score.

But Gianforte brushed Jacobs off and then suddenly "body-slammed" him onto the ground, breaking his glasses, Jacobs says. According to three Fox News reporters who were in the room preparing for an interview with the GOP nominee, Gianforte "grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground ... then began punching the man as he moved on top the reporter and began yelling something to the effect of 'I'm sick and tired of this!' "

The tape backs up that account, but Gianforte's campaign claimed it was Jacobs who was the aggressor, pushing a tape recorder in Gianforte's face and then "grabbed Greg's wrist, and spun away from Greg, pushing them both to the ground."

The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office announced late Wednesday it was charging Gianforte with misdemeanor assault, which carries a possible maximum fine of $500 or up to six months in jail if convicted. Gianforte has been ordered to appear in court by June 7.

At a news conference on Thursday, Sheriff Brian Gootkin said Gianforte cooperated by giving an initial statement at the scene. Reporters asked why Gianforte had not been detained, and the sheriff said his deputies "got busy with the witnesses and the victim," and Gianforte left. He was not in custody or under arrest at the time. The sheriff says the department has been contacted by attorneys on the candidate's behalf, and law enforcement has not had a followup interview with him.

Gootkin also disclosed that he had contributed to Gianforte's campaign, but said it "has nothing to do" with the investigation or his role as sheriff. He would not answer questions about why he contributed or whether he regularly donates to campaigns, saying that "doesn't have anything to do with the incident."

House Speaker Ryan said at his weekly press conference that Gianforte should apologize.

"I do not think this is acceptable behavior, but the choice will be made by the people of Montana," Ryan said Thursday.

A statement from National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Steve Stivers, who oversees the House GOP's campaign arm, didn't go as far as Ryan.

"From what I know of Greg Gianforte, this was totally out of character, but we all make mistakes. We need to let the facts surrounding this incident unfold," the Ohio congressman said. "Today's special election is bigger than any one person; it's about the views of all Montanans. They deserve to have their voices heard in Washington."

Montana GOP Sen. Steve Daines, who used to work for Gianforte's software company, told NBC News's Peter Alexander, "I've known Greg for 20 years. I was very surprised last night. I don't condone violence of any kind. I've got confidence in my local law enforcement back home to investigate the matter."

"I think Greg should apologize," Daines continued. "That's warranted. And we'll let the people of Montana decide what happens tonight."

Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who's up for re-election in 2018 in what's expected to be a highly competitive race, said in a statement that the incident was now "in the hands of law enforcement. But part of the job representing the people of Montana is answering basic questions on important topics, topics such as how a dangerous healthcare plan could impact the very people you are trying to represent. It's part of the job."

Gianforte, a wealthy software executive, lost to Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock last year by about 4 points, even as President Trump rolled to a 20 point win in the state.

And while Gianforte was hesitant to embrace then-candidate Trump during that contest, he's been closely embracing the president this go-around, co-opting his familiar "drain the swamp" phrase and pledging to go to Washington to work with the president. The president's son, Donald Trump Jr., has hit the trail twice for Gianforte, and Vice President Pence also made a recent campaign stop on his behalf.

Quist, a Stetson-wearing folk singer who's well known across the state for his music, has tried to ride the rising opposition to Trump to an upset. He hasn't made the president his central campaign pitch, and hasn't tried to capitalize on the scandals engulfing his administration in recent days, but has made his opposition to the health care bill a key point in the campaign's final stretch.

Republicans have hammered Quist with almost $5 million in ads, hitting him for property tax liens and unpaid debts. But Quist has shot back that his financial struggles stemmed from a botched gallbladder surgery over two decades ago, giving him a way to sympathize with people also struggling to afford health insurance and pay their medical bills.

Private GOP polls showed a close race earlier this week, with Gianforte believed to have a slim single-digit lead. But with the heavy volume of absentee ballots already returned, it's unclear how — or if — the recent charges against Gianforte will alter an already close race. And, given conservative opposition to the media, Gianforte's actions might actually win him some supporters, too. </s> First Read is your briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.

"Body slam" of reporter is another sign of America's broken politics

If you thought our politics couldn't get any worse, just look at what happened on the eve of today's special congressional election in Montana. "A Montana sheriff has issued a citation for misdemeanor assault against Republican U.S. House candidate Greg Gianforte after a newspaper reporter said the politician 'body slammed' him, an account that was backed up by witnesses," per NBC News. Before Gianforte was cited for misdemeanor assault, his campaign blamed the reporter, Ben Jacobs of the Guardian, for the incident. "[A]s Greg was giving a separate interview in a private office, The Guardian's Ben Jacobs entered the office without permission, aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg's face, and began asking badgering questions… It's unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer BBQ." And according to MSNBC's Garrett Haake, a GOP strategist endorsed that strategy to blame the press.

What is wrong with our politics? It's shameful that ANYONE considers this good strategy. Also in this current state of politics — where winning is everything — there is notable silence from the Republican Party. A little bit more of our democracy was weakened last night. As the saying goes, you get the politicians you deserve. Question: Don't we deserve better than this?

How did last night affect this race? We just don't know

The other question on everyone's minds: How does last night's incident affect this competitive race, where the consensus had been that Gianforte is the favorite but that Democrat Rob Quist has a realistic shot at an upset? About two-thirds of the vote is already in, and those people can't change their vote. But remember, early voters are typically your most committed partisans; day-of voters are usually more persuadable. So the incident could matter. Or it might not. Polls in Montana close at 10:00 pm ET.

Democrats now find themselves in a lose-lose position

Oddly, last night's incident in Montana has turned into a potential nightmare for Democrats. Think about it: If they win, Republicans and many observers will chalk it up to Gianforte's behavior and flaws. And if Democrats come up short — which is still a realistic possibility — people are going to say: "Democrats couldn't triumph in a competitive race where the opponent is charged with misdemeanor assault before an election!!!!" Sure, Gianforte winning will eventually be a headache for Republicans once he comes to Washington. But right now, the pressure is on the Democrats, and it puts even more pressure on the June 20 runoff in Georgia. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was already one of the losers before last night (their GOP counterparts had invested much more in the race). And when you wait too long to play, you sometimes don't find yourself in a great position to take credit if you win.

Advice: Don't focus just on one special election. Look at them collectively

Of course, before last night, the Montana congressional election was viewed more — fairly or not — as a referendum on President Trump and the current political climate. And while last night's incident complicates that kind of narrative, do pay attention to the advice from the Cook Political Report's David Wasserman: Look at the special elections COLLECTIVELY to determine what the political environment currently looks like. And so here are the competitive special elections compared to past performance:

Bottom line: Democrats are outperforming where they were in 2016, and Republicans are underperforming. We'll wait to see if that trend continues tonight — with the obvious caveat about last night's incident.

The question that Ben Jacobs was asking Gianforte last night? It was about yesterday's Congressional Budget Office score of the House GOP health-care bill. NBC's Benjy Sarlin sums up the CBO report. "The GOP health care bill would insure 23 million fewer people than current law after a decade, while potentially impacting many with pre-existing conditions, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The bill would spend $1.1 trillion less on health care and use the savings primarily to finance large tax cuts for high-income earners and medical companies. While some Americans would see lower premiums, CBO concluded that many people with pre-existing conditions would no longer be able to afford insurance and that many who received coverage would pay thousands of dollars more in out-of-pocket expenses." </s> Republican candidate Greg Gianforte’s alleged “body slam” of a reporter Wednesday night might have shaken up expectations for a special election for Montana’s single seat in the House, but a large percentage of those expected to vote have already turned in their ballots.

As of Wednesday night, 259,558 ballots have been returned, said Derek J. Oestreicher, the Director of Elections and Voter Services in the Office of the Montana Secretary of State. That number is of 357,596 absentee ballots sent out, meaning about 73% of absentee ballots are in.

Since audio of the scuffle surfaced, Montana’s Secretary of State office has been getting calls and questions asking if voters can come in and change their vote. Under Montana law, however, ballots that have mailed in and received by county election administrators are considered votes received and cannot be changed.

Missoula County election administrator Rebecca Connors says she got a dozen phone calls just this morning from voters wanting to change their vote. Had the audio with Jacobs not happened, she would have had zero, Connors told CNN.

So far the raw number of early ballots returned in this special election are higher than the 2014 midterm. In 2014, 225,136 Montanans voted absentee in the midterms total.

Just like the national trend, more Montanans are choosing to request absentee ballots. So while the raw numbers show more absentee voters already, the reality is that a smaller percentage of the total absentee ballots out there have been returned. In the 2014 midterm, 88% of the absentee ballots were returned. Keep in mind that in Montana, voters can deliver their absentee ballots on Election Day. How many get delivered is a key question, and predicting that in a special election can be tricky.

Of approximately 700,000 Montana registered voters overall, 37% cast their vote early, Oestreicher said. This is before in person voting began Thursday.

Montanans can register to vote and vote on the same day so the 700,000 overall registered voters could rise. Polls are open until 8 p.m. local time, 10 p.m. ET.

Gianforte has been charged with misdemeanor assault after he allegedly “body slammed” a reporter from the Guardian and broke his glasses on Wednesday night. The reporter, Ben Jacobs, was attempting to ask Gianforte about Republicans’ plans for health care and interrupted a Fox News interview as they were setting up. Gianforte’s spokesman in a statement later blamed the altercation on Jacobs’ “aggressive behavior.” </s> GREAT FALLS, MONT - A political reporter for the Guardian was allegedly assaulted by Greg Gianforte, the Republican candidate in the Montana U.S. House race, Wednesday evening in Bozeman, the reporter announced via Twitter.

"Greg Gianforte just body slammed me and broke my glasses," Ben Jacobs wrote on Twitter.

"There was a local TV crew there when Gianforte body slammed me."

Wednesday's incident comes just one day before the special election in which Gianforte is running against Democratic candidate Rob Quist and Libertarian Mark Wicks. Polls thus far have shown Gianforte with a single-digit lead over Quist.

The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office has not yet returned called made by the Tribune for comment.

Whitney Bermes, reporter for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle confirmed via Twitter that the sheriff's office and medics were on scene.

"I'm sick and tired of you guys. The last time you were here you did the same thing," Gianforte is allegedly heard on audio posted by the Guardian. </s> Newspapers in Montana are pulling their support from GOP House candidate Greg Gianforte following an alleged physical altercation Wednesday with a reporter.

Three newspapers have rescinded their support for Gianforte, who was charged with misdemeanor assault after allegedly slamming a reporter from The Guardian to the floor at the candidate's campaign headquarters in Bozeman.

The incident reportedly came as reporter Ben Jacobs posed questions about the Republicans' ObamaCare repeal plans — a charge that Gianforte denies.

The papers pulling their support include the Missoulian, the Billings Gazette and the Independent Record.

Gianforte earlier Wednesday had touted the support he had from the three papers.

The Missoulian in a later editorial said Gianforte showed Wednesday night that he "lacks the experience, brains and abilities to effectively represent Montana in any elected office."

The Billings Gazette said it is "at a loss for words" and said it doesn't believe someone can "love America, love the Constitution, talk about the importance of a free press and then pummel a reporter."

The Independent Record expressed similar comments, saying it can't "condone that kind of violence" and noting democracy can't "exist without a free press."

The altercation Wednesday came just hours before voters headed to the polls.

After a brief investigation, Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin issued a statement Wednesday night saying Gianforte had been cited for misdemeanor assault.

“Following multiple interviews and an investigation by the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office it was determined there was probable cause to issue a citation to Greg Gianforte for misdemeanor assault,” the statement reads. “The nature of the injuries did not meet the statutory elements of felony assault.”

Thursday’s special election pits Gianforte against Democrat Rob Quist in a contest to replace former GOP Rep. Ryan Zinke, who is now heading President Trump’s Interior Department. Gianforte is seen as a slight favorite in the race. </s> The 2016 election season is here, and KTMF has your complete coverage! INSIDE>>> Your Hometown Election Headquarters

The 2016 election season is here, and KTMF has your complete coverage! INSIDE>>> Your Hometown Election Headquarters

The 2016 election season is here, and KTMF has your complete coverage! INSIDE>>> Your Hometown Election Headquarters

As of 9:35 PM Republican Congressional candidate Greg Gianforte is leading with 65% of absentee ballot votes and Democratic Congressional candidate Rob Quist is trailing at 30%.

Candidate Gianforte had almost twice as Quist with 2,170 ballots in his favor while Quist has 1,017.

We will keep you updated throughout the night as more results come in.
Gianforte wins the election with over 50% of the vote to Quist's 44%. The political fallout if any is unknown as many voters cast unchangable absentee ballots before the incident took place.