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GOP Super PAC Airs Closing Ad in Montana Special Election

Congressional Leadership Fund has invested $2.5 million in race

Democrat Rob Quist, right, is vying with Republican Greg Gianforte in the race for Montana’s at-large House seat. (Courtesy Greg for Montana, Rob Quist for Montana)
Democrat Rob Quist, right, is vying with Republican Greg Gianforte in the race for Montana’s at-large House seat. (Courtesy Greg for Montana, Rob Quist for Montana)

The biggest Republican outside spender in Montana’s upcoming special election is using its final television ad to underscore the narrative it has tried to paint of Democrat Rob Quist.

The TV spot, launching Friday, is part of the Congressional Leadership Fund’s $2.5 million investment in the May 25 special election for the at-large House seat, in which Quist faces Republican Greg Gianforte. The fund, backed by House GOP leadership, has released four other ads attacking the Democrat, most of which have gone after his personal financial troubles. 

This ad is no different, pointing to what the super PAC calls Quist’s “long pattern of bad debts and tax liens.” The ad again tries to tie Quist to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. “You wouldn’t trust Pelosi with your vote,” the narrator says. “Why trust Rob Quist?” 

The Quist campaign has tried to parlay the candidate’s past financial troubles into an advantage in the race, using those experiences to help him connect with voters who may have gone through similar experiences.

“The issue is not Quist going through tough times, but his irresponsible and dishonest response to those circumstances,” Corry Bliss, executive director of the Congressional Leadership Fund, said in a statement. 

The group’s ad is airing in the Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena and Missoula media markets. The fund is also involved on the ground in Montana with a mail and field program. 

Democratic outside groups have spent less in Montana. On Thursday, Quist’s campaign announced it had raised $5 million so far. Gianforte had raised $3.4 million as of the beginning of this month. But that included $1 million that he loaned his campaign.

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