Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
GOP Win In Montana Shows Limits Of Strategy By Democrats To Use Health Repeal In Elections
Greg Gianforte, a wealthy Montana Republican who was charged with assaulting a reporter on Wednesday, nonetheless won the state’s lone seat in the House of Representatives on Thursday, according to The Associated Press, in a special election held up as a test of the country’s political climate. ... Mr. Gianforte’s success underscored the limitations of the Democrats’ strategy of highlighting the House’s health insurance overhaul and relying on liberal anger toward President Trump, at least in red-leaning states. (Martin and Burns, 5/25)
Yet Gianforte's single-digit win paled to Trump's 20-point romp in Montana in November, a sign that Republicans will have to work hard to defend some of their most secure seats to maintain control of Congress. The race ultimately turned on the weaknesses of both Gianforte and his opponent, folk singer and Democrat Rob Quist, making it tough to use as a barometer for the nation's political mood. (Calvin and Riccardi, 5/26)
Mr. Gianforte began the race as a weakened candidate, having lost the governor’s race in 2016 in a campaign that portrayed him as an out-of-state millionaire. Still, the Republican remained ahead of Mr. Quist in most polls, if only by single-digit margins. That lead was jeopardized when the Gallatin County sheriff on Wednesday night charged Mr. Gianforte with misdemeanor assault after he allegedly assaulted a reporter, Ben Jacobs of the Guardian, who had asked him about the GOP health-care bill at his campaign headquarters. (Hook and Epstein, 5/26)
After an intense focus on Montana in the run-up to Thursday’s vote, much of the attention is now likely to shift back to Georgia, where Democrat Jon Ossoff is looking to pick off the seat formerly held by now-HHS Secretary Tom Price in a June 20 special election against Republican Karen Handel. (Debenedetti, 5/26)
There was likely good reason why Greg Gianforte, successful Republican candidate for Congress from Montana, lost his cool on the eve of the election — scuffling with a reporter, breaking the man’s glasses and ending up with a misdemeanor assault charge: He, like many Republicans these days, walks a perilous line when talking health care. (Webber, 5/26)
