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Rob Quist
Rob Quist was a special election candidate who sought election to the At-Large Congressional District of Montana.[1] Before becoming a candidate in 2017, Quist had never previously held or been a candidate for public office. Quist founded a small entertainment business based in Kalispell, Montana, named RQGN, which, according to Quist's campaign, has employed "up to 15 Montanans at any given time."[2]
Elections
2017
Results
| U.S. House, Montana At-Large Special Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Greg Gianforte |
50% | 190,520 | |
| Democratic | Rob Quist | 44.4% | 169,214 | |
| Libertarian | Mark Wicks | 5.7% | 21,682 | |
| Total Votes | 381,416 | |||
| Source: Montana Secretary of State | ||||
| U.S. House, Montana At-Large Special Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Greg Gianforte |
50% | 190,520 | |
| Democratic | Rob Quist | 44.4% | 169,214 | |
| Libertarian | Mark Wicks | 5.7% | 21,682 | |
| Total Votes | 381,416 | |||
| Source: Montana Secretary of State | ||||
The election was held to replace Ryan Zinke (R), who was confirmed as secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior on March 1, 2017.[3]
Republican Greg Gianforte defeated Democrat Rob Quist and Libertarian Mark Wicks, earning more than 50 percent of the vote. Gianforte was sworn in as a member of the United States House of Representatives on June 21, 2017.[4]
Primary elections were not held in the race. Instead, party leaders chose the nominees at conventions. Democrats selected musician Rob Quist at the party's convention on March 5, 2017, while Republicans nominated businessman Greg Gianforte at the party's convention on March 6, 2017. A third candidate, Libertarian Mark Wicks, was also on the ballot.[5][6][7][8]
Ballotpedia compiled the following resources to help voters better understand the policy positions of the candidates prior to the general election on May 25, 2017:
- An overview of each candidate's career and policy priorities;
- Background information about each candidate's policy positions, campaign themes, and debate performance; and
- The politicians and influencers involved in the race, including those releasing ads and fundraising.
Although Montana's At-Large District seat was held by a Republican continuously from 1997, with former incumbent Ryan Zinke winning election in 2014 and 2016 by roughly 15 points, the race garnered significant national attention and fundraising. In the final week of the election alone, Quist announced that he had received $1 million, bringing his total campaign contributions to $6 million. The pro-Democrat House Majority PAC also spent $125,000 on ad buys for the election's final week. Outside organizations backing Gianforte like the Congressional Leadership Fund have spent $7 million on ad buys—approximately $4 million more than Democratic outside groups.[9][10]
On May 24, 2017, the eve of the election, Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault after he allegedly slammed a reporter to the ground and punched him. The Gianforte campaign refuted the reporter's account in a statement.[11][12]
Candidate overview
Career musician and small business owner Rob Quist announced his candidacy for the open Montana seat on January 4, 2017. Describing his qualifications for the office, Quist said, "I have worked with our state government and many of our state’s organizations and citizens to promote harmony, cooperation and a common vision for our state. I feel that I am uniquely qualified for this role because I have spent a lifetime traveling the state working with and getting to know the concerns and the needs of my fellow Montanans.”[13] He was appointed by Govs. Brian Schweitzer (D) and Steve Bullock (D) to serve on the Montana Arts Council.
On his campaign website, Quist listed the following issues as some of his policy priorities: protecting the Affordable Care Act, capping student loan interest rates at three percent, opposing the defunding of Planned Parenthood, honoring tribal sovereignty, and overturning Citizens United.[14] In an April 2017 interview with The Billings Gazette, Quist called the sale of public lands the defining issue of the race.[15]
Campaign themes
2017
The following issues are listed on Quist's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.
| “ |
|
” |
| —Rob Quist's campaign website | ||
Biography
Prior to his candidacy for Montana's congressional district, Quist worked as a musician from a young age. He most recently toured with his backup band under the name Rob Quist and Great Northern. As a student at the University of Montana, Quist and several others formed the Mission Mountain Wood Band, a band that changed personnel and rebranded itself as The Montana Band in 1981.[17] Quist left the band for his solo career with Great Northern in 1984, but reunited with three other original members of the band after all then-members of The Montana Band were killed in what at the time was the deadliest private plane crash in Montana history on July 4, 1987.[18]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Rob Quist Montana Congress. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- United States House of Representatives
- Montana's At-Large Congressional District special election, 2017
- Montana's At-Large Congressional District
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Billings Gazette, "Montana musician Rob Quist joins candidates to replace U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke," January 4, 2017
- ↑ Quist for Congress, "Meet Rob," accessed May 18, 2017
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Trump taps Montana congressman Ryan Zinke as interior secretary," December 13, 2016
- ↑ The Billings Gazette, "Gianforte set to take oath as Montana's next congressman," June 15, 2017
- ↑ Billings Gazette, "Democrats, Republicans plan for special election to replace Zinke," December 15, 2016
- ↑ KTVH, "Bullock sets soonest possible date for special election," March 1, 2017
- ↑ Billings Gazette, "Montana Democrats pick musician Rob Quist to run for U.S. House," March 5, 2017
- ↑ Billings Gazette, "Greg Gianforte wins Republican nomination for Montana's U.S. House election," March 6, 2017
- ↑ Politico, "Republicans: Montana special election 'closer than it should be,'" May 24, 2017
- ↑ The Hill, "GOP, Dems put more money into Montana special election," May 3, 2017
- ↑ KULR, "U.S. House candidate Greg Gianforte charged with misdemeanor assault," May 25, 2017
- ↑ KTVQ, "Greg Gianforte accused of body slamming reporter," May 24, 2017
- ↑ The Billings Gazette, "Montana musician Rob Quist joins candidates to replace U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke," January 4, 2017
- ↑ Rob Quist for Congress, "On the Issues," accessed May 18, 2017
- ↑ The Billings Gazette, "Quist, Gianforte meet for first time at Gazette editorial board," April 25, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Quist for Congress, "Meet Rob," accessed May 18, 2017
- ↑ The Chicago Tribune, "Montana Air Crash Kills Band," July 6, 1987
