Gianforte wins Special Election for the U.S House of Representatives; Quist wins Hill County by 17 votes

The Associated Press has reported that Republican Greg Gianforte has won Montana's special election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Gianforte, a retired Bozeman entrepreneur and his party's 2016 candidate for governor, took 50 percent of the vote with a total of 189,473, the Montana Secretary of State website says.

Democrat Rob Quist took 44 percent with 166,483 votes while Libertarian Mark Wicks earned 21,509, or 6 percent of the vote.

The election was to fill Montana's lone seat in the U.S House of Representatives, left vacant when Ryan Zinke resigned from the seat to serve as Interior secretary in President Donald Trump's cabinet.

Quist won Blaine County with 49 percent of the vote to Gianforte's 43 percent, while Wicks garnered 9 percent. Gianforte swept Chouteau County 58 percent to Quist's 33 percent and Wicks' 9 percent. Quist carried Hill County by 17 votes with both he and Gianforte receiving 44 percent of the vote each, while Wicks trailed with 12 percent. Liberty County went for Gianforte over Quist 58 percent to 25 percent, while 17 percent went for Wicks.

Watch for more on Thursday’s election, including the proposed mill levy increases put to voters in Hill County, in Friday’s Havre Daily News.