Gianforte rep talks in Havre about governor campaign

The political director for Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte's campaign for the seat of Montana's governor, Dan Duffy, spoke Friday at the Duck Inn Vineyard Room about Gianforte's campaign for Montana governor to the North-Central Pachyderms.

"We have a tremendous opportunity after 16 years of democrat rule in the governor's office," Duffy said.

Gianforte is running in the primary against Republicans state Sen. Al Olszewski, R-Kalispell, and Attorney General Tim Fox.

The official filing period for candidates in Montana is Jan. 9 through March 9.

Libertarian Ron Vandevender, and Democrats Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney; House Minority Leader Casey Schreiner, D-Great Falls; businesswoman Whitney Williams of Missoula, daughter of longtime U.S. Rep. Pat Williams, D-Mont., and former Rep. Reilly Neill, D-Livingston, have also announced their candidacies.

Duffy said Gianforte has shown to be leading in the poles, according to internal and independent poles taken over the past year. He added that Gianforte has also had two record fundraising quarters in the past year, raising more than a million dollars in two quarters. 

"At this point that is more than all the Republican and Democrat candidates that are running for governor combined were able to raise," Duffy said. "We can tell that there is a lot of support for Greg and we are very excited about that."

He added that Gianforte has also traveled to all 56 counties in the state and made more than 100 public appearances where he spoke to voters, about their biggest concerns for the state. Gianforte has also received a number of large endorsements from the Gun Owners of America and the Susan B. Anthony List, as well as a number of state legislators.

Montana is the number one state expected to flip from Democrat to Republican in the next election and since Gianforte announced his campaign has gained a large amount of traction.

Former state Senate candidate and Blaine County Republican Committee Chair Richard Cronk said that he has not received any information about Gianforte's appearances in the region and asked Duffy if Gianforte was planning on having any open meetings to speak about his campaign. 

Duffy said the meetings are open to the community and they have been advertised, although he did not know to what extent.

He added that the most important thing for the gubernatorial race is a Republican is elected. He said Gianforte is fully committed to a Republican being elected, which was why in June he requested the other Republican candidates sign a unity pledge, pledging that whoever wins the Republican nomination in the race will have the support of the other candidates. 

Olszewski has signed the unity pledge but Fox has not at this time, Duffy said.

He added that Republicans can agree a number of great candidates are running this election, but in the end only one can be nominated. He said that Gianforte hopes Fox changes his mind and signs the pledge.

Douglas Stuart, also of Blaine County, said it is not a simple unity pledge and, to his knowledge, the pledge includes that candidates are required to give Gianforte's office all the campaign information they have collected.

"I don't think I would sign it," he said.

Duffy said that what is important is that a Republican is elected.

"I think it's just that, after 16 years of Democrat governors, it's all hands on deck," he said. "We've got to do everything we can to make sure it is a Republican who takes office next year."

Stuart said that he supports Olszewski, and that Gianforte has run before in 2016 for governor and lost. He added that Gianforte was later appointed to Congress but still wants to be governor, but has no guarantee he will win.

"I tell you right now, the way the country is headed, we can talk about Republicans and Democrats, what we have is insiders versus outsiders and that's what's happening in the Capital," he said.

North-Central Pachyderm chair Andrew Brekke said that some of the concerns expressed at the meeting are not uncommon, with many disagreements within the party.

"The realities are what they are," he said. "Someone will win and someone will lose and then we have to rally the troops at the end of it so we win."

He added that Democrats are very good about coming together to support one candidate when needed.

"The rest of us want to burn the whole house to the ground when we don't get our way, and we need to get over that because it's not all about us individually. There is a bigger picture, in my opinion, at the end of the tunnel," he said.

Duffy said in an interview that Gianforte is in the race to win.

He added that, if elected, Gianforte will work to do what President Donald Trump has done nationally and apply it to all Montana, by cutting inefficiencies in government and cutting needless bureaucracy. 

"He will do whatever it takes," he said.