Jump to content

Greg Gianforte

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 24.29.56.240 (talk) at 05:36, 7 November 2020 (→2020 Montana gubernatorial campaign: reword). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Greg Gianforte
Governor-elect of Montana
Assuming office
January 4, 2021
LieutenantKristen Juras (elect)
SucceedingSteve Bullock
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Montana's at-large district
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 21, 2017
Preceded byRyan Zinke
Succeeded byMatt Rosendale (elect)
Personal details
Born
Gregory Richard Gianforte

(1961-04-17) April 17, 1961 (age 63)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Susan Gianforte
​
(m. 1988)​
Children4
EducationStevens Institute of
Technology (BEng, MS)
Signature
WebsiteHouse website

Gregory Richard Gianforte (born April 17, 1961) is an American politician, businessman, engineer, philanthropist, and author. A Republican, Gianforte has served as the Representative for Montana's at-large congressional district since 2017; he is also the governor-elect of the State of Montana.

Gianforte and his wife, Susan, co-founded RightNow Technologies, a customer relationship management software company, in 1997.[3][4] The company went public in 2004; by that time, it employed over 1,000 workers and executives.[5] RightNow Technologies was acquired by Oracle Corporation for $1.5 billion in 2011.[6][7]

In 2016, Gianforte ran for Governor of Montana as the Republican candidate, losing to incumbent Democratic Governor Steve Bullock. In May 2017, Gianforte defeated Democratic opponent Rob Quist in a special election for Montana's at-large congressional seat to fill a vacancy created by the presidential cabinet secretary appointment of Ryan Zinke. Gianforte was convicted of assault in state court in June 2017 stemming from his election-eve body-slamming attack on The Guardian political reporter Ben Jacobs in May 2017.[8] He was fined and sentenced to community service and anger management therapy.[9][10][11] Gianforte prevailed in his 2018 bid for re-election after fending off a challenge from Democratic nominee Kathleen Williams.

Gianforte did not seek re-election to the House of Representatives in 2020 and instead was a candidate in the 2020 Montana gubernatorial election. In the November general election, Gianforte defeated Mike Cooney.[12]

Early life and education

This article is part of a series on
Conservatism
in the United States
Schools
Principles
History
Intellectuals
Politicians
Jurists
Commentators
Activists
Literature
Concerns
Parties
Active

Defunct

Think tanks
Media

Newspapers

Journals

TV channels

Websites

Other

Other organizations

Economics

Gun rights

Identity politics

Nativist

Religion

Watchdog groups

Youth/student groups

Miscellaneous

Other

Movements
Related

Gregory Richard Gianforte was born on April 17, 1961, in San Diego, California. He is the oldest son of Frank Richard Gianforte, born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1937 (deceased 2015), who had a career as an aerospace engineer and, later, a landlord.[13][14][15][16] His mother, Dale Douglass was born in Pittstown, New Jersey, in 1937 (deceased 2008), and worked for General Dynamics in San Diego, and later, was a school math teacher.[17] Gianforte is of Italian, English, and Scottish ancestry.[18][19][20] Gianforte has two younger brothers, Douglass and Michael.[13] After the age of three, Gianforte was raised in the Valley Forge and King of Prussia suburbs northeast of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including Wayne, an affluent unincorporated township community which extends into the Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware counties of Pennsylvania.[21]

During his high school years in the 1970s, Gianforte started a software business.[22] He attended Upper Merion Area High School in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, where he was elected class president during his junior and senior years.[23] Gianforte was also captain of his school football team, where he played left offensive guard.[24][25][26] He graduated from high school in 1979.

Gianforte graduated in 1983 from his father's alma mater, Stevens Institute of Technology, a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey, with a B.E. in electrical engineering and a master's degree in computer science.[27] Gianforte directed a computer lab with 12 programmers.[28] He was a member of the Delta Tau Delta men's fraternity, and enjoyed playing squash.[29]

Career

Software entrepreneurship

Gianforte speaking at a business conference in 2006

Gianforte began his career in 1983 at Bell Laboratories, working in product acquisition.[23][30] Frustrated by the bureaucratic corporate hierarchy at Bell Labs, Gianforte departed to co-found Brightwork Development Inc., a developer of server-based LAN management software for the banking industry, which was based in Tinton Falls, New Jersey.[31][32][33] He and his partners sold the company to McAfee Associates for $10 million in 1994.[34] Gianforte then began working for McAfee as head of North American sales.[35] In 1995, he moved to Bozeman, Montana.[26]

Gianforte and his wife, Susan, a mechanical engineer by trade, co-founded RightNow Technologies in 1997. Part of Gianforte's strategy was to leverage the internet as a means to overcome geographic barriers to building a globalized business.[36] By the time the company went public in 2004, it employed over 1,000 workers and executives both in Bozeman, and globally, with offices in the UK, Asia, and Australia. The company included future Senator Steve Daines among its executives.[37] The company was acquired by Oracle Corporation for $1.5 billion in 2011.[38][39] At the time, Gianforte's 20 percent stake in the company was worth about $290 million.[40] Right Now Technologies had contracts with federal agencies,[41] including handling all of the online search queries for the Social Security Administration and Medicare websites.[42] In 2012, Gianforte sued the Montana Democratic Party for defamation, alleging the House campaign ads they aired critical of then House candidate Steve Daines were libelous. Gianforte alleged the party aired television ads that claimed that Right Now Technologies capitalized itself with public contracts, and then offshored jobs.[43]

In 2005, along with a London-based co-author, Marcus Gibson, Gianforte published a business book: Bootstrapping Your Business, start and grow a successful company with almost no money.[44] He has offered business lectures on entrepreneurship, and on building a global business.[45]

Philanthropy and civic life

In 2004, Gianforte and his wife founded the Gianforte Family Foundation, which has promoted his creationist beliefs in the public sphere, and has made tens of millions of dollars in charitable contributions.[46][47][48] The foundation describes its primary mission as supporting "the work of faith-based organizations engaged in outreach work, strengthening families, and helping the needy; organizations in Montana that work to improve education, support entrepreneurship, and create jobs; and organizations that enhance the local community of Bozeman, Montana."[49] Gianforte, his wife, Susan, and his son, Richard, are the foundation's three trustees.[49] The foundation had assets of $113 million in 2013.[48]

The foundation also regularly sponsors many of the arts in Montana, including MSU's free and public 'Shakespeare in the Parks', a traveling shakespear performance bringing arts to rural Montanans. The family foundation also sponsors events such as the Bozeman Symphony and the Intermountain Opera Association.

The Gianforte Family Foundation has given nearly $900,000 to the Montana Family Foundation, in some years making up half of that organization's total revenue. The Montana Family Foundation has promoted conservative and Christian values in the Montana legislature. Asked why he donated to the group, Gianforte said it was because the organization aligns with his views.[50]

Through his nonprofit, the Gianforte Family Charitable Trust, Gianforte has contributed substantial funding to several conservative organizations.[51][52] Some have led legal efforts to dismantle federal campaign finance regulations.[53] Gianforte has donated to the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family, which advocate for a constitutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage, as well as the Montana Family Foundation, which is "the state's primary advocate against LGBT policies".[54] Gianforte served on the board of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, an education reform organization founded by economist Milton Friedman which advocates for school vouchers.[55]

Young Earth creationism

Gianforte believes in Young Earth creationism[56] despite scientific evidence to the contrary.[57] He has donated at least $290,000 to the Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum, a Montana creationist museum which teaches visitors that the theory of evolution is false, that the Earth is about 6,000–6,400 years old, and that humans and dinosaurs coexisted during the same period of history.[58] The museum claims dinosaurs were aboard Noah's Ark, and that they likely went extinct 4,300 years ago during the great flood described in the Book of Genesis. Palaeontologist Jack Horner called the Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum "not a museum at all".[59][60][61][59] The Gianforte Family Foundation also donated a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton replica to the museum.[59]

Affiliations and investments

Gianforte has had a variety of business interests and investments. In November 2013, he was appointed to the board of FICO, which profiles consumer credit risks for lenders.[62] The same month, Gianforte acquired 8,000 shares of FICO, which were then valued at more than $464,000.00.[63] Gianforte is a partner in MGRR No. 1, a limited liability company that has received grain subsidies since 1995.[64] Gianforte was the founding board chair of the Montana High Tech Business Alliance. He resigned as board chair in June 2017 when he was sworn into Congress.[65]

In financial disclosure forms filed in 2017, Gianforte indicated that he owned $150,000 worth of shares in VanEck Vectors Russia ETF and $92,400 in the IShares MSCF Russia ETF, totalling just under $250,000 in two exchange-traded funds focused on investments in Russia.[66] The investments attracted attention because they included shares in Gazprom and Rosneft, which are subject to U.S. sanctions imposed after the Russian invasion of Crimea; however, because the per-person ownership stake in these companies is so small in such index funds, they are exempt from sanctions.[66] After the issue was raised in Gianforte's 2017 congressional campaign, Gianforte stated that his Russia holdings were a small portion of his overall investments and pledged to place all of his assets in a blind trust if elected.[66][67]

Through a holding corporation, Gianforte owns a 12-seat private jet which he has used as a strategic asset on the campaign trail.[68][69] He made the aircraft available to others in his congressional caucus to travel back east to Washington for important votes.[70]

2016 Montana gubernatorial campaign

Main article: 2016 Montana gubernatorial election
Gianforte/Robinson campaign sign outside the Hill County Republican Party headquarters in Havre

On January 20, 2016, Gianforte announced his candidacy for the Republican Party's nomination for Governor of Montana in the 2016 election.[71] A citizen of Butte filed a political practices complaint against Gianforte alleging that he began campaigning before registering; the complaint was dismissed.[72][73][74]

In a campaign speech that year, Gianforte stated that he had been involved in discussions with Facebook about bringing a new call center to Montana, but that Facebook had declined because of that state's business equipment tax.[75] A Facebook spokesman disputed Gianforte's claims, saying that no discussions with Gianforte had taken place and that the tax was not the reason the company decided not to locate a call center in Montana. Gianforte stood by his statement saying that he had spoken with a Facebook executive the previous fall.[76]

During his gubernatorial campaign, Gianforte pledged not to accept special interest PAC money and ran television ads criticizing his opponent for doing so.[77] He came under scrutiny when an audio tape surfaced revealing his past advocacy to replace state income tax and state business tax revenue with a state sales tax.[78][79][80]

Management of public lands was a point of contention in Gianforte's 2016 campaign for governor.[81] In 2009, Gianforte's LLC filed a lawsuit against the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks about the boundaries of an easement for public access to the East Gallatin River adjacent to his property.[82] Gianforte's suit against the state became an issue in the 2016 campaign with Gianforte's critics characterizing it as a wealthy out-of-stater's effort to block public access to a popular stream.[81][82][83] Gianforte consistently denied the allegations and called the issue a misunderstanding, noting the suit was never served, though the lawsuit was settled outside of court.[81] Gianforte opposes same-sex marriage.[84] He opposes abortion.[84][85]

Steve Bullock, the incumbent Democratic governor, defeated Gianforte in the November general election, 50%–46%.[86]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2017 special election campaign

Main article: 2017 Montana's at-large congressional district special election
Map graphic representing the 49.7% of votes Gianforte received (in red) during the 2017 special election[87]

On March 1, 2017, Republican Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana's at-large congressional district resigned his seat following his confirmation by the United States Senate as United States Secretary of the Interior. A special election was scheduled to fill the remainder of Zinke's term.[88] Gianforte had already announced his intention to seek the seat on January 25, prior to Zinke's confirmation and subsequent resignation.[89] At a March 6 convention, the Republican Party selected Gianforte as their nominee. He faced Democratic musician and former Montana Arts Council member Rob Quist, as well as Libertarian nominee Mark Wicks, in the general election.[90]

In a departure from previous pledges made during his gubernatorial campaign, Gianforte relaxed his past pledges to refuse all PAC money, and began to turn away only corporate PAC funding. His campaign began accepting contributions from political party and leadership PACs.[91]

Gianforte distanced himself from Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential primary and did not attend Trump's sole rally in Montana, citing a scheduling conflict.[92][93] However, he endorsed Trump in the 2016 general election and continued to express support for him during his 2017 special election campaign for Congress.[94][95][96] Gianforte's campaign was supported by Vice President Mike Pence and Donald Trump Jr., who both stumped for Gianforte in the state.[97][98][99] Gianforte tacked close to Trump's political narratives, promoting his outsider status as a first time political candidate, touting his experience as a technology entrepreneur, and criticizing policies leading to sanctuary cities and "the liberal elite."[100]

Gianforte supported repeal of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).[101] He declined to say whether he supports the American Health Care Act, the House Republican legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.[102] On Thursday May 4, 2017, Gianforte held a private conference call with Republican-leaning lobbyists in Washington D.C. where he offered a more supportive view of the American Health Care Act.[102][103] He said that it "sounds like we just passed a health care thing, which I'm thankful for, sounds like we're starting to repeal and replace."[102] Later that May, he said he would not "vote for a repeal and a replace unless I know it protects people with pre-existing conditions, lowers rates and preserves rural access".[104] The incident where Gianforte assaulted a reporter was in response to questions about how the AHCA would make health insurance too expensive for people with pre-existing conditions.[105]

Gianforte circa June 2017 when he was sworn into office.

Gianforte opposed the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, comparing marijuana to more addictive drugs.[106]

He supported allowing the use of medical marijuana to "people in chronic pain, under the care of a doctor."[107] He opposes abortion except in cases where a woman's life is in danger.[107] He favors removing federal funding from Planned Parenthood.[107] He stated that he supports government enforcement of nondiscrimination for workers, but not for customers.[54][108] He opposed increasing in the minimum wage.[109] Gianforte supported Executive Order 13769, to ban immigration from seven Muslim majority countries.[110] He opposed resettlement of refugees in Montana.[111] He opposed sanctuary cities policies.[100] Gianforte blamed the Obama administration for "the situation with Russia" and favored a multilateral strategy to stand against Russian aggression.[66] He supported President Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey.[112]

Gianforte opposed efforts to transfer federal lands to the states.[113] Gianforte called for changes to the Endangered Species Act.[83] He was in favor of amending the federal Equal Access to Justice Act to reduce environmental litigation, saying that the act has been abused by "environmental extremists."[83] He acknowledged human-caused climate change but "did not have specific ideas on how to address climate change."[83] He has said that "the climate is always changing," and believes that closing coal-fired power plants would not help mitigate climate change.[114] He supported President Trump's repeal of the Clean Power Plan introduced by the Obama administration.[115] He has called for investments in clean coal technology.[114] Gianforte has criticized the length of time the Department of Interior spends to evaluate applications to drill and frack for shale gas.[116]

Gianforte outlined his position on retirement by using the Biblical example of Noah. He said:

There's nothing in the Bible that talks about retirement. And yet it's been an accepted concept in our culture today. Nowhere does it say, 'Well, he was a good and faithful servant, so he went to the beach ... The example I think of is Noah. How old was Noah when he built the ark? 600. He wasn't like, cashing Social Security checks, he wasn't hanging out, he was working. So, I think we have an obligation to work. The role we have in work may change over time, but the concept of retirement is not biblical.[117][118][119][120]

Election-eve assault on journalist
File:Greg Gianforte, jail booking mugshot photograph.jpg
Greg Gianforte's jail booking mugshot taken 93 days after his act of assault, on Friday, August 25, 2017, upon being booked and fingerprinted at the Gallatin County Montana Detention Center.

On May 24, 2017, the day before the House special election, Ben Jacobs, a political reporter for The Guardian newspaper who was covering the election, reported to the Gallatin County, Montana Sheriff's Office that Gianforte had assaulted him at Gianforte's Bozeman campaign office after Jacobs asked him a question concerning health care policy.[121][122][123][124][125] Jacobs said that Gianforte "bodyslammed" him to the floor and broke his glasses.[122][123][124] Jacobs was hospitalized following the attack.[126]

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Gianforte made misleading statements to a Gallatin County Sheriff's Office sergeant who reported to Gianforte's campaign office to investigate Jacobs' assault complaint.[127] Gianforte told the sergeant that "the liberal media is trying to make a story."[128][129] In the hours after the assault, the Gianforte campaign issued a press release falsely blaming the reporter,[130][131] claiming that Jacobs grabbed Gianforte's wrist and caused them both to fall to the ground.[132] However, an audio recording of the incident appeared to support Jacobs's statement,[122][126] and other reporters who were present at the scene corroborated Jacobs' version of events.[133] An eyewitness to the attack, Fox News reporter Alicia Acuna, testified that "Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground," then "began punching the man" and "yelling something to the effect of 'I'm sick and tired of this!'" Acuna remarked: "at no point did any of us who witnessed this assault see Jacobs show any form of physical aggression toward Gianforte, who left the area after giving statements to local sheriff's deputies."[134] Another journalist who was an eyewitness to the assault, Alexis Levinson, tweeted that she "heard a giant crash and saw Ben's feet fly in the air as he hit the floor."[135]

Gianforte was cited for misdemeanor assault by the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office.[136][137] On August 25, 2017, Gianforte was briefly booked into jail, fingerprinted, and had his official jail "mugshot" photograph taken, after his legal team lost a bid to avoid that process.[138][139][140] On October 10, 2017, Giantforte's jail mugshot was released publicly by a Gallatin County court order.[141]

The Helena Independent Record editorial board rescinded its endorsement of Gianforte and noted that prior to the attack, Gianforte had encouraged his supporters to boycott certain newspapers, singled out a reporter in a room to point out that he was outnumbered, and joked about choking a news writer.[142] Two other well-circulated Montana newspapers, the Billings Gazette, and the largest in the state, the Missoulian, also revoked their prior endorsements of Gianforte.[143][144][145][146] Speaker Paul Ryan and other members of Congress urged Gianforte to apologize.[147]

In his acceptance speech the night of his May 25 victory, Gianforte apologized to Jacobs and the Fox News crew for his assault.[148] On June 7, Gianforte made a written apology to Jacobs and donated $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which accepted the funds because it was part of the settlement and said it would put them towards the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker.[149] In return, Jacobs agreed to not pursue a civil claim against Gianforte.[150]

Gianforte subsequently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in Gallatin County District Court, acknowledging that Jacobs "did not initiate any physical contact with me" and writing letter to Jacobs saying that the reporter did not start the physical altercation.[130] Gianforte was originally sentenced to four days in jail, to be completed in part through a work program. However, he was ineligible for the work program due to the assault conviction. The judge then switched the sentence to 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management therapy, 180-day deferred sentence, and a $300 fine along with an $85 court fee.[9][10][11]

During the court hearing Jacobs said that he hoped to interview Gianforte in the future, as he was trying to do at the time of the assault. Gianforte said in court to Jacobs, "I am sorry, and if and when you are ready, I look forward to sitting down with you in D.C."[151] As of October 2017, Gianforte had not sat down with Jacobs for an interview, and the issue was not pursued further.[152]

Exhibit on Greg Gianforte's election eve assault of The Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs at The Newseum, a museum of the news media in Washington, DC (now closed).

Since the assault, Jacobs has, through his attorney, accused Gianforte of whitewashing his guilt, twice sending cease and desist letters to Gianforte regarding the latter's accounts of his culpability in the assault.[153] Gianforte met with the Missoulian newspaper editorial board in October 2018, and, when asked about the assault, he maintained that his original false statement to sheriff's deputies in the immediate aftermath of the incident was his best recollection of events; a statement that Gianforte later contradicted under oath in court with an admission of guilt connected to his guilty plea.[154][155]

On October 18, 2018, during a rally in Missoula, Montana, President Donald Trump congratulated Gianforte for his assault on Jacobs.[156][157][158] While verbally praising Gianforte's prowess in carrying out a body slam, Trump made gestures with his hands and arms to pantomime a fighting maneuver.[159] According to analysts, this marked the first time a sitting president had "openly and directly praised a violent act against a journalist on American soil".[160]

Gianforte's assault on the journalist achieved political notoriety. During an October 2018 campaign event with then Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Republican Representative Jody Hice implored the small crowd that had gathered to oppose the resurgence of Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterm elections. Hice declared, "It's time for this so called blue wave to be body slammed!" [161]

2018 House campaign

Map graphic representing the 51% of votes Gianforte received (in red) during the 2018 election[162]

Gianforte's candidacy was opposed in 2018 by Democratic Party nominee Kathleen Williams, a state legislator and natural resources expert from Bozeman, as well as by Libertarian Party candidate Elinor Swanson, a lawyer from Billings.[163]

Gianforte opposed Williams' policy proposal to allow those 55 and older to buy into Medicare, remarking that "medicare for all is medicare for none", and cautioned that Medicare would be at risk of spending cuts if Democrats won a majority in the House. [164] Williams criticized Gianforte for introducing a bill to remove federal protections from several wilderness study areas in Montana without holding any public meetings on the issue.[165]

Polling data in the weeks leading up to the election showed Gianforte and Williams in a close contest within the margin of error. Gianforte prevailed in his bid for re-election with a 5% margin of victory.[166][167] Exit polling data indicated that Gianforte had his strongest support at the polls from men older than 44 and from those with incomes above $50,000 per year.[168]

Tenure

Gianforte discusses illegal drug interdiction in October 2018 with the Montana Highway Patrol, the Montana Department of Justice, and Montana Attorney General Tim Fox.

115th Congress

Gianforte was sworn into the House of Representatives on June 21, 2017.[169] At his inauguration ceremony, Gianforte announced his support for congressional term limits, barring members of Congress from becoming lobbyists, and holding back congressional pay if no budget is passed. It is unusual for members of Congress to announce such support for legislation in their inauguration.[170] Montana Democrats mailed Gianforte an orange prison jumpsuit on the day of his inauguration.[171][172]

The first bill Gianforte introduced, on June 21, 2017, was H.R. 2977, the Balanced Budget Accountability Act, which, as Gianforte summarized it, would withhold pay from members of Congress unless a balanced budget is passed.[173] The bill did not achieve a committee hearing.[174]

Gianforte has touted refundable tax credits for low income parents as an achievement of the Republican Caucus in the 115th Congress.[175]

In 2018, Gianforte expressed opposition to the aluminum and steel tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, expressing fears about the impact of retaliatory tariffs (the trade war) on Montana agricultural exports.[176][177][178]

Gianforte chaired the Interior Subcommittee of the Oversight Committee through the end of the 115th Congress in 2018.[179] Gianforte has introduced legislation to nullify Wilderness Study Area (WSA) designations from more than 800,000 acres of land in Montana under the stewardship of both the federal Bureau of Land Management as well as the U.S. Forest Service.[180]

116th Congress

In the 2018 midterm elections, the Republicans lost control of the House to the Democrats, and Gianforte began his second term in January 2019 in the minority caucus.[181] Over his career, Gianforte has voted in line with Trump's position in about 95.1% of key votes.[182] He has voted with Trump's position more often than Montana U.S. Senator Steve Daines, a fellow Republican.[183]

In January 2019, during the 2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown, Gianforte said that he "didn't come here to Washington to shut the government down" but expressed support for Trump and blamed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for the shutdown.[184] He opposed the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump over the Trump-Ukraine scandal, calling it a "sham,"[185][186] and voted against both articles of impeachment against Trump (abuse of power and obstruction of Congress).[182] Gianforte voted against a measure to bar Trump from initiating military action against Iran without congressional consent;[182] a spokesman for Gianforte said in 2019 that he would not "discuss the conditions under which he would vote in favor of authorizing military force against Iran because talking about it strengthens the position [of] Iran's regime."[187] Gianforte voted against the 2020 House Democrats police reform bill; voted against restoring part of the Voting Rights Act; voted against universal background checks for gun purchases; and voted against the 2020 D.C. statehood bill.[182] In line with Trump's position, Gianforte voted against legislation to block U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates;[182] however, Gianforte opposed Trump's decision in 2019 to withdraw U.S. forces from northern Syria, where they had been stationed as part of U.S. efforts to block Turkish attacks on Kurdish forces.[188] Gianforte voted against legislation in 2019 to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.[182][189] Gianforte voted against legislation to overturn Trump's emergency declaration to divert federal appropriations for construction of a border wall.[182][190] He opposed federal action to combat climate change and supported Trump's withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate change,[191] voting against legislation to block Trump from withdrawing from the agreement.[182] Gianforte voted against the re-authorization of the Export–Import Bank, and against a bill allowing the government to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs.[182] He voted in favor of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement on trade.[182]

Gianforte is one of the few tech executives to be elected to political office in the United States.[192] After Representative Darrell Issa left office in 2019, Gianforte became the wealthiest member of Congress, a distinction which he held until the January 2020 appointment of Kelly Loeffler to represent Georgia in the Senate.[193]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

2020 Montana gubernatorial campaign

Main article: 2020 Montana gubernatorial election

Gianforte contended with Attorney General Tim Fox and state Sen. Al Olszewski for the nomination of the Montana Republican Party for the 2020 Montana gubernatorial election. Gianforte drew parallels between his experience building a large technology company in Bozeman, and Donald Trump's business background, and shared anecdotes of visits to the White House meant to illustrate their ties.[196][197]

Gianforte won the Republican nomination. In the November general election, Gianforte defeated incumbent Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney to become governor-elect. He is scheduled to take office on January 4, 2021.[198]

Personal life

While working at Bell Labs in New Jersey in the 1980s, Gianforte met his wife, Susan, who is the first-generation daughter of German immigrants, and was born and raised in Queens, New York City.[29][199] They married in 1988.[200] Gianforte and his wife have resided in Bozeman, Montana, since moving from New Jersey in 1995. They have four children. Gianforte was raised Presbyterian.[201] He and his wife attend Grace Bible Church, a nondenominational church in Bozeman.[202][203][204]

Gianforte has hunted on Montana's public lands and on October 28, 2000, he was fined $70 for illegally killing an elk.[205] In a 2016 interview, he described entertaining investment bankers from Scotland and New York at his Montana home, in connection with his company's public stock offering, where he served them a dinner of mountain lion teriyaki, antelope chops wrapped in bacon, and elk tenderloin.[206]

Gianforte received an honorary doctorate from Stevens Institute of Technology and gave the commencement speech in 2012.[207] In 2007, Gianforte was awarded an honorary doctorate from Montana State University's College of Engineering.[14][208] In 2007, Gianforte was inducted into the CRM Hall of Fame.[209] Gianforte received the 2003 Stevens Institute of Technology's Stevens Honor Award.[210] Gianforte was named Pacific Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in 2003.[211]

Electoral history

2016 Montana gubernatorial Republican primary[212]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Greg Gianforte 111,348 76.29%
Republican Terry Nelson 34,600 23.71%
Total votes '145,948' '100.00%'
2016 Montana gubernatorial election[213]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Steve Bullock (incumbent) 255,933 50.25% +1.35%
Republican Greg Gianforte 236,115 46.36% −0.98%
Libertarian Ted Dunlap 17,312 3.39% −0.37%
Total votes '511,866' '100.00%'
2017 Montana's at-large congressional district special election[214]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Greg Gianforte 190,520 49.70% −6.49%
Democratic Rob Quist 169,214 44.14% +3.59%
Libertarian Mark L. Wicks 21,682 5.66% +2.40%
Independent Doug Campbell (write-in) 81 0.02% +0.02%
Total votes '383,382' '100.00%'
2018 United States House of Representatives election in Montana[215]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Greg Gianforte 256,543 50.88% +0.93%
Democratic Kathleen Williams 233,284 46.25% +1.88%
Libertarian Elinor Swanson 14,476 2.87% −2.81%
Total votes '504,421' '100.00%'

Writings

  • Gianforte, Greg; and Gibson, Marcus (2005). Bootstrapping your business: start and grow a successful company with almost no money. Adams Media.
  • Gianforte, Greg (2008). Eight to great : eight steps to delivering an exceptional customer experience. www.BookSurge.com.
  • Gianforte, Greg (2012). Attack of the customers : why critics assault brands online and how to avoid becoming a victim. Self-published.

References

  1. ^ "Greg Gianforte: A look at the newly-elected Montana congressman accused of assaulting reporter". May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  2. ^ "What you need to know about Greg Gianforte and Montana's election". Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  3. ^ "Native & Newcomer". Sky. Delta Airlines. 2011. p. 114. ISSN 0734-8967.
  4. ^ Henderson, Christina (January 1, 2013). "Greg Gianforte, RightNow Technologies: Building a World-Class Business in Montana". Montana Business Quarterly, Volume 51, Issue #4. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  5. ^ Dennison, Mike (August 31, 2014). "A look at Steve Daines and RightNow Technologies". Helena Independent Record. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  6. ^ Frier, Sarah (October 24, 2011). "Oracle Buys RightNow for .5 Billion to Add Cloud Services". Bloomberg.
  7. ^ Flandro, Carly (February 3, 2011). "RightNow grows to more than 1,000 employees". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  8. ^ Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Whitney Bermes, October 11, 2017, Judge releases Congressman Gianforte's mugshot, Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  9. ^ a b Marcos, Cristina (June 21, 2017). "Gianforte Causes Stir After Becoming Newest House Member". The Hill. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  10. ^ a b Kyung Lah; Noa Yadidi; Carma Hassan. "Gianforte pleads guilty to assault in incident with reporter". CNN. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Andrews, Natalie (June 12, 2017). "Incoming GOP Congressman Greg Gianforte Pleads Guilty to Assault on Reporter". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  12. ^ Press, The Associated (November 3, 2020). "Greg Gianforte elected Montana's next governor". KECI. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Obituary for Frank Richard Gianforte at Mauger Givnish Funeral Home". www.meaningfulfunerals.net. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  14. ^ a b "Honorary Degree Committee". Montana State University. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  15. ^ "Gregory R. Gianforte Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  16. ^ "Gianforte family obituary".
  17. ^ "Obituary for Dale (née Douglass) Gianforte at Mauger Givnish Funeral Home" (Press release). Legacy.com. March 12, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  18. ^ (March 31, 2007). Gianforte wants to help all Montanans prosper, USA Today
  19. ^ (May 6, 2015). Frank Richard Gianforte, The Daily Local
  20. ^ "Dale Gianforte". geni_family_tree. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  21. ^ Volz, Matt (January 3, 2016). "Greg Gianforte made $220M over 10 years". The Associated Press. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  22. ^ Barret, Victoria (June 9, 2009). "Ten Minutes That Mattered: Greg Gianforte". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  23. ^ a b Johnson, Peter (March 31, 2017). "Gianforte wants to help all Montanans prosper". USA Today. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  24. ^ DiStefano, Joseph (April 4, 2016). "Taking Upper Merion lessons to Montana". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  25. ^ Tornoe, Rob (May 25, 2017). "How did an ex-Upper Merion football player end up allegedly 'body slamming' a reporter in Montana?". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  26. ^ a b (October 26, 2011)KofP prodigy in $1.5B Oracle cloud software deal, Philadelphia Inquirer
  27. ^ Charles Hack, Stevens Institute in Hoboken accepts $10 million gift, largest ever, from Gianforte Family Foundation, The Jersey Journal (September 18, 2012).
  28. ^ Barret, Victoria (June 9, 2009). "Ten Minutes That Mattered: Greg Gianforte". Forbes Magazine. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  29. ^ a b "President's Leadership Award" (Press release). Stevens Institute of Technology. April 9, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  30. ^ Tsai, Michelle (December 1, 2005). "Gianforte Says 'Thanks, But No Thanks' To VC". Venture Wire. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  31. ^ Knickerbocker, Ken (June 27, 2017). "Upper Merion High School Alum, Soon-to-be Congressman Used to Be Godfather of Montana Technology Scene". Montco.Today. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  32. ^ Polilli, Steve (May 23, 1994). "Client/Server Gets Antiviral Software". Infoworld. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  33. ^ Tsai, Michelle (December 1, 2005). "Gianforte Says 'Thanks, But No Thanks' To VC". Venture Wire. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  34. ^ Emily Barker, Start with Nothing, Inc. (February 1, 2002).
  35. ^ Kimball, Nancy (June 1, 2008). "Don't Waste Money, Make It; entrepreneur reveals the secrets of his success". Kalispell Daily Inter Lake. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  36. ^ Henderson, Christina (January 1, 2013). "Greg Gianforte, RightNow Technologies: Building a World-Class Business in Montana". Montana Business Quarterly, Volume 51, Issue #4. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  37. ^ Dennison, Mike (August 31, 2014). "A look at Steve Daines and RightNow Technologies". Helena Independent Record. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  38. ^ Frier, Sarah (October 24, 2011). "Oracle Buys RightNow for .5 Billion to Add Cloud Services". Bloomberg.
  39. ^ Flandro, Carly (February 3, 2011). "RightNow grows to more than 1,000 employees". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  40. ^ DeVynck, Gerritt (June 6, 2017). "Before Body Slam, Gianforte Was 'Godfather' of Montana Tech, people who worked at the new congressman's software companies say he could be overbearing but not violent". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  41. ^ The Associated Press, The Associated Press (October 21, 2012). "Daines seeks to take ambitions to DC". Kalispell Daily Inter Lake. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  42. ^ Schwartz, Ephraim (December 12, 2005). "A software revolution". InfoWorld magazine. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  43. ^ The Associated Press, The Associated Press (November 16, 2012). "Dems ask judge to dismiss suit". The Kalispell Daily Inter Lake. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  44. ^ Norman (October 3, 2005). "Books that can help you start and grow a business". Orange County Register.
  45. ^ Daily Inter Lake, Staff (March 12, 2012). "Owl expert to talk about this winter's migration". The Daily Inter Lake. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  46. ^ "Greg Gianforte on Abortion". www.ontheissues.org. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  47. ^ Associated Press. "Gianforte releases tax returns showing income of $220 million over 10 years." Billings Gazette. March 1, 2016. Billingsgazettecom. Date Retrieved April 2, 2016
  48. ^ a b Viebeck, Elise (May 25, 2017). "Gianforte has a history of controversial views and hostile comments to journalists". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  49. ^ a b "About Us". gianfortefoundation.org. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  50. ^ Michels, HOLLY. "Greg Gianforte is significant backer of Montana foundation that promotes conservative values". missoulian.com. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  51. ^ Fraser, Jayme (March 27, 2016). "Gianforte's charitable giving reveals social conservatism not discussed in campaign". helenair.com. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  52. ^ Noon, Alison (December 29, 2015). "Religion Central to Gianforte's Life, But Not His Campaign". Flathead Beacon. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  53. ^ Beachum, Laeteshia (November 15, 2017). "How slamming campaign finance laws helped Greg Gianforte get elected". The Center For Public Integrity. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  54. ^ a b Holden, Dominic. "Republican Frontrunner For Montana Governor Has An Extreme Anti-LGBT Past". BuzzFeed. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  55. ^ Gianforte, Greg (September 30, 2012). "Give choice a chance to fix K-12 education, guest opinion column". Kalispell Daily Inter Lake. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  56. ^ ""Scientific" Creationism as a Pseudoscience - NCSE". ncse.com. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  57. ^ Burns, Alexander (May 25, 2017). "Who Is Greg Gianforte?". The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  58. ^ Walsh, Meghan (January 13, 2016). "Can Greg Gianforte Save Montana From Poverty?". Billings Gazette. Retrieved January 13, 2016.[permanent dead link]
  59. ^ a b c Healy, Donna (October 18, 2009). "Dinosaur museum presents biblical view of origins: A faith-based Creation". Billings Gazette. ISSN 2372-868X. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013.
  60. ^ Bruggeman, Karyn (April 13, 2015). "Billionaire Tech CEO Laying Groundwork for Montana Gubernatorial Run". The Atlantic.
  61. ^ Inbody, Kristen (April 28, 2016). "Dinosaurs, the Bible and a Glendive museum". Great Falls Tribune.
  62. ^ "FICO Announces Greg Gianforte Joins Board of Directors". FICO.com press release. November 13, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  63. ^ "Top Buys by Directors: Gianforte's $464K Bet on FICO". Forbes Magazine. November 25, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  64. ^ Lutey, Tom (December 9, 2017). "Tester and Gianforte among 33 members of Congress who got farm subsidies in the past 21 years". Helena Independent Record. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  65. ^ "Congressman Greg Gianforte and Susan Gianforte Host 150 tech leaders at July 6 Bozeman Reception". Montana High Tech Business Alliance Website. September 8, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  66. ^ a b c d Ben Jacobs, GOP candidate has financial ties to US-sanctioned Russian companies, The Guardian (April 28, 2017).
  67. ^ Bobby Caina Calvan, "Investments in Russia become focus in congressional race", Associated Press, April 30, 2017.
  68. ^ Carter, Troy (August 25, 2018). "As governor, Gianforte won't expense his private airplane trips". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  69. ^ McLaughlin, Kathleen (2018). "She has a camper truck, he has a private jet – can a Democrat take Montana?". The Guardian. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  70. ^ Carney, Jordain (October 5, 2018). "Gianforte offers GOP senator plane to return for Kavanaugh vote". The Hill. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  71. ^ Lutey, Tom (January 20, 2016). "Gianforte declares candidacy for governor in Billings". Billings Gazette. ISSN 2372-868X. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  72. ^ Carter, Troy. "Political practices complaint filed against Gianforte". Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  73. ^ Talwani, Sanjay. "Complaint alleges that Gianforte campaigned before registering as a candidate". MTN News. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  74. ^ Carter, Troy. "Campaign Complaint Against Gianforte Dismissed". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  75. ^ Phil Drake, Gianforte unveils '406 Tax Relief' plan, Great Falls Tribune (April 18, 2016).
  76. ^ Associated Press, Facebook disputes claims of Montana candidate Archived April 2, 2017, at the Wayback Machine (April 21, 2016).
  77. ^ Pathe, Simone (February 7, 2018). "Montana's Greg Gianforte Ditches 'No PAC' Pledge for 2018". Roll Call Newspaper. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  78. ^ Michels, Holly (November 4, 2016). "Gianforte's sales tax testimony is subject of Dems attack". Billings Gazette. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  79. ^ Johnson, Charles (May 30, 2002). "Software CEO calls income tax harmful". Billings Gazette. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  80. ^ O'Brien, Edward (July 2, 2018). "Sales Tax Has Little Support Despite Montana's Budget Woes". Montana Public Radio. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  81. ^ a b c Jayme Fraser, Bullock, Gianforte spar over access to public lands, Missourian (July 22, 2016).
  82. ^ a b Hayme Fraser & Holly Michels, Governor candidate Gianforte sued state in 2009 over access to river, Billings Gazette, May 10, 2016.
  83. ^ a b c d Kuglin, Tim (April 28, 2018). "Gianforte: 'I believe we can develop natural resources and protect the environment'". Helena Independent Record. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  84. ^ a b Dennison, Mike (October 27, 2016). "MT gov's race features big difference on social issues – but Gianforte says it's not that relevant". MNT News (KTVH). Archived from the original on April 11, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  85. ^ Project, Campus Election Engagement (October 25, 2016). "Steve Bullock vs. Greg Gianforte: Nonpartisan Candidate Guide For 2016 Montana Governor's Race". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  86. ^ "2016 Statewide General Election Canvass" (PDF). Montana Secretary of State.
  87. ^ "MT At-Large - Special Election 2017". November 8, 2018.
  88. ^ Lutey, Tom (March 1, 2017). "Zinke sworn in as Interior secretary; Montana prepares for special election". Billings Gazette. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  89. ^ Dennison, Mike (January 25, 2017). "Gianforte officially enters the race to succeed Zinke". KTVH-DT. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  90. ^ Holly K. Michels (March 6, 2017). "Greg Gianforte wins Republican nomination for Montana's US House election". Missoulian. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  91. ^ Pathe, Simone. "Montana's Greg Gianforte Ditches 'No PAC' Pledge for 2018". Roll Call Newspaper. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  92. ^ Riccardi, Matt Volz and Nicholas. "Montana Republican goes from wary Trump backer to all-in ahead of election". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  93. ^ Lutey, Tom. "Republicans who didn't support Trump in early 2016 now are all in". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  94. ^ McConnaha, Michelle. "GOP candidates discuss issues, support Trump". Ravalli Republic. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  95. ^ Volz, Matt; Riccardi, Nicholas (May 20, 2017). "Greg Gianforte Goes from Wary Trump Backer to All-In". Billings Gazette. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  96. ^ News, N. B. C. (May 20, 2017). "Montana Republican goes from wary Trump backer to all-in". NBC News. Retrieved May 25, 2017. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)[permanent dead link]
  97. ^ Hudson, Matt (May 12, 2017). "Vice President Mike Pence in Billings: 'We need Greg Gianforte' in Congress". Billings Gazette. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  98. ^ "Bernie Sanders heads to Montana for high-profile House race". NBC News. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  99. ^ "donald-trump-jr-to-campaign-for-gianforte".
  100. ^ a b Turkewitz, Julie (May 22, 2017). "What Scandal? In Montana Race, a Republican Is Following the Trump Playbook". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  101. ^ Holly K. Michels. "Gianforte, Quist both say current bill to replace Obamacare needs work". Missoulian. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  102. ^ a b c Martin, Jonathan (May 5, 2017). "G.O.P. House Candidate in Montana Is Caught on Tape Praising Health Bill". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  103. ^ "Montana Democrat closes with health-care message in closely watched congressional race". Washington Post. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  104. ^ Wadley, Will (May 23, 2017). "Gianforte draws on business, campaign experience ahead of special election". KECI. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  105. ^ "Republican Gianforte Wins Montana House Race Amid Assault Charge". NPR.org. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  106. ^ Fang, Marina (April 30, 2017). "Montana Democratic Candidate Affirms Support For Legalizing Marijuana". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  107. ^ a b c Holly K. Michels, Gianforte supports defunding Planned Parenthood; Quist approves of legalizing recreational marijuana, Missoulian (April 29, 2017).
  108. ^ Lutey, Tom. "Gianforte clarifies stance on protection of LGBT rights". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  109. ^ tlutey@billingsgazette.com, Tom Lutey. "Ideas roll in as Gianforte kicks off 'Regulation Roundup Tour'". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  110. ^ "What to know about Montana's special election". ABC News. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  111. ^ OnTheIssues.org. "Greg Gianforte on the Issues". www.ontheissues.org. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  112. ^ Bradner, Eric. "Republicans on ballots stick with Trump on Comey firing". CNN. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  113. ^ Mikenzie Frost, Records show Quist, Gianforte have different hunting and fishing history Archived April 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, KTVH (April 26, 2017).
  114. ^ a b Lutey, Tom. "Quist, Gianforte support coal, but differ on policy". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  115. ^ Lutey, Tom. "Trump's repeal of Clean Power Plan gets mixed Montana reception". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  116. ^ Lutey, Tom. "Gianforte, Williams differ sharply on public land policy". Billings Gazette. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  117. ^ "Greg Gianforte on Social Security". www.ontheissues.org. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  118. ^ Lutey, Tom. "Gianforte, potential GOP governor candidate, protested by Billings Democrats". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  119. ^ "The Montana Republican running in the special election doesn't believe in retirement because Noah was still working when he was 600". April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  120. ^ Lachman, Samantha (June 9, 2015). "Noah From The Bible Didn't Retire, So This Likely GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Doesn't See Why You Should". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  121. ^ Levin, Sam (November 17, 2017). "Montana Rep. Gianforte misled investigators in assault on reporter before election". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  122. ^ a b c Wong, Julia Carrie; Levin, Sam (May 24, 2017). "Republican candidate 'body-slams' Guardian reporter in Montana". The Guardian/Guardian Media Group. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  123. ^ a b "Reporter alleges Greg Gianforte 'body slammed' him in Bozeman". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  124. ^ a b Jacobs, Ben [@Bencjacobs] (May 24, 2017). "Greg Gianforte just body slammed me and broke my glasses" (Tweet). Retrieved May 24, 2017 – via Twitter.
  125. ^ "Greg Gianforte Allegedly Assault Guardian Reporter". Roll Call. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  126. ^ a b Martin, Jonathan (May 25, 2017). "G.O.P. Candidate in Montana House Race Is Accused of Attacking Reporter". New York Times. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  127. ^ Bermes, Whitney (November 17, 2017). "Montana Congressman Greg Gianforte misled investigators in assault case, documents say". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  128. ^ Julia Carrie Wong, November 18, 2017, The Guardian, Greg Gianforte misled police after assault of Guardian journalist, incident report shows: Montana congressman falsely said Ben Jacobs had initiated physical contact: Gianforte told police 'the liberal media is trying to make a story'; retrieved November 18, 2017
  129. ^ Silverman, Ellie (November 17, 2017). "Rep. Gianforte's account to police on assault of reporter appears to contradict his later apology". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  130. ^ a b Michaels, Holly (November 27, 2017). "Reporter's letter: Gianforte should stop saying journalist initiated election eve attack". Helena Independent Record. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  131. ^ Amber Phillips, May 26, 2017, Washington Post, The GOP's newest member of Congress can't make up his mind about whether he assaulted a reporter, or a reporter assaulted him, Retrieved May 27, 2017, "... That was 24 hours before Election Day. Gianforte stuck with his story and laid low, even though he was pretty much the only one who seemed to believe himself — especially after audio of the altercation and eyewitnesses appeared to corroborate Jacobs's account ..."
  132. ^ "Reporter alleges he was 'body slammed' by Montana GOP candidate". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  133. ^ Acuna, Alicia (May 24, 2017). "Greg Gianforte: Fox News team witnesses GOP House candidate 'body slam' reporter". Fox News. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  134. ^ Greg Gianforte: Fox News team witnesses GOP House candidate 'body slam' reporter. Acuna, Alicia. Fox News, May 24, 2017
  135. ^ Daniel S. Levine (May 26, 2017). "Greg Gianforte: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  136. ^ "Gianforte charged with election-eve assault". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  137. ^ "Update on Assault Investigation". Gallatin County Sheriff. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  138. ^ Rossman, Sean (August 22, 2017). "Montana congressman Greg Gianforte to get mugshot, fingerprints for 'body slam' of reporter". Business Insider. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  139. ^ Abadi, Mark (October 11, 2017). "Here's the mugshot of Greg Gianforte, the Congressman who assaulted a reporter the day before his election". Business Insider. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  140. ^ Siddiqui, Sabrina (October 11, 2017). "Greg Gianforte's mugshot released to the public after legal battle". The Guardian. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  141. ^ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/21/greg-gianforte-booking-fingerprinting-mugshot-assault-case
  142. ^ "An IR View: Independent Record withdraws endorsement of Gianforte". The Helena Independent Record. Editorial Board. May 25, 2017. Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  143. ^ "Gazette opinion: We're pulling our endorsement of Gianforte". Billings Gazette. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  144. ^ "Missoulian rescinds Gianforte endorsement". Missoulian. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  145. ^ "Independent Record withdraws endorsement of Gianforte". Independent Record. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  146. ^ Martin, Jonathan (May 24, 2017). "Greg Gianforte, Montana G.O.P. Candidate, Is Charged in Attack on Reporter". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  147. ^ "Ryan: Gianforte should apologize for alleged assault on reporter". politico.com. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  148. ^ "Gianforte: 'I made a mistake, I am sorry'". CNN. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  149. ^ "CPJ to use $50,000 Gianforte donated as part of body slam settlement to track other assaults on press - Committee to Protect Journalists". cpj.org. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  150. ^ Wong, Julia Carrie (June 8, 2017). "Gianforte pays $50,000 to press group to settle assault of Guardian reporter". The Guardian. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  151. ^ Stelter, Brian (August 29, 2017). "Body-slammed reporter wants to know why Rep. Gianforte still won't grant interview". CNN. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  152. ^ Siddiqui, Sabrina (October 11, 2017). "Greg Gianforte's mugshot released to the public after legal battle". The Guardian. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  153. ^ Volz, Matt. "Reporter warns Rep. Gianforte not to lie about 2017 attack". Missoulian Newspaper. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  154. ^ Pogreba, Don (October 22, 2018). "Greg Gianforte is Unbelievably Still Lying About the Night He Assaulted Ben Jacobs". Missoulian Newspaper. Retrieved October 22, 2018.[permanent dead link]
  155. ^ MTN News, Staff (October 26, 2018). "Reporter's attorney alleges Gianforte lying about assault, settlement". Missoulian Newspaper. Retrieved October 26, 2018.[permanent dead link]
  156. ^ Michaels, Holly (October 30, 2018). "Trump rally set for Saturday at Bozeman airport". The Montana Standard. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  157. ^ Sullivan, Kate; Acosta, Jim; Klein, Betsy (October 18, 2018). "Trump jokes about congressman assaulting reporter: 'Any guy who can do a body slam ... he's my guy'". CNN. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  158. ^ Cochrane, Emily (October 19, 2018). "'That's My Kind of Guy', Trump Says of Republican Lawmaker Who Body-Slammed a Reporter". New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  159. ^ Bort, Ryan (October 19, 2018). "Trump Continues to Pave the Way for More Violence Against the Press". Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  160. ^ Pilkington, Ed (October 19, 2018). "Trump praises Gianforte for assault on Guardian reporter: 'He's my guy'". the Guardian. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  161. ^ Gambino, Lauren (October 29, 2018). "Republican congressman: time to 'body-slam' Democrats' midterm hopes". The Guardian. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  162. ^ "MT At-Large 2018". April 22, 2019.
  163. ^ Ambarlan, Jonathon (February 27, 2018). "Billings lawyer enters Montana House race as Libertarian candidate". KTVH. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  164. ^ Rovner, Julie (November 6, 2018). "The election's impact on health care: 12 bellwether races to watch". Salon.com. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  165. ^ Volz, Matt (September 30, 2018). "Candidates meet in debate in US House race in Montana". The Associated Press. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  166. ^ Hal, Mari (October 30, 2018). "Williams: Montana's U.S. House race getting 'tighter, tighter, tighter'". Missoula Current. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  167. ^ "RealClearPolitics.com Montana At-Large District - Gianforte vs. Williams (2018)". Real Clear Politics. November 1, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  168. ^ Lutey, Tom (November 7, 2018). "Montana's Gianforte prepares for Democrat-controlled House". Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  169. ^ "Republican Convicted of Attacking Reporter Joins House". Fox News (from the Associated Press). June 21, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  170. ^ Marcos, Cristina (June 21, 2017). "Gianforte Causes Stir After Becoming Newest House Member". The Hill. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  171. ^ Shelbourne, Mallory (June 21, 2017). "Montana Dems Send Orange Jumpsuit for Gianforte's First Day in Congress". The Hill. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  172. ^ Chasmar, Jessica (June 21, 2017). "Montana Democrats Mail Orange Jumpsuit to Greg Gianforte". The Washington Times. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  173. ^ "Gianforte Introduces First Bill; Co-Sponsors Drain the Swamp Bills". Gianforte.house.gov. U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte. June 21, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  174. ^ "H.R.2977 - Balanced Budget Accountability Act". Congress.gov. United States House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk. June 21, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  175. ^ Gianforte, Greg (January 2, 2018). "Keeping more of what you earn". The Missoulian Newspaper. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  176. ^ Dominick Brascia, Gianforte Upset About President Trumps Tariffs, KMMS (March 9, 2018).
  177. ^ Olga Kreimer, Montana Politicians, Farmers Say Trump Tariffs Are Bad For Ag, Montana Public Radio (March 8, 2018).
  178. ^ Gianforte Comes Out Against Trump's Tariffs, National Journal.
  179. ^ "Interior Subcommittee website". Oversight.House.Gov. United States House of Representatives. November 18, 2018. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  180. ^ McCumber, David (December 9, 2018). "Daines, Gianforte bills to release WSA designations dead — for now". The Montana Standard. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  181. ^ Martin Kidston, VIDEO: Tester, Gianforte take oath for third, second term as Congress convenes, Missoula Current (January 3, 2019).
  182. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump: Greg Gianforte: Republican representative for Montana’s at large district, FiveThirtyEight (last accessed August 4, 2020).
  183. ^ Gianforte stood with Trump on 97 percent of key votes this year; Daines 71 percent, KPAX (July 2019).
  184. ^ Kidston, Martin (January 16, 2019). "Gianforte apologizes for government shutdown; stands with Trump and blames Pelosi". The Missoula Current. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  185. ^ Phil Drake, Gianforte blasts Democrat's impeachment resolution, Great Falls Tribune (October 31, 2019).
  186. ^ Alicia Parlapiano, Jason Kao, Emily Cochrane and Catie Edmondson, Complete List: Who Supports an Impeachment Inquiry Against Trump?, New York Times (October 10, 2019).
  187. ^ Tom Lutey, Montana delegation responds to canceled attack on Iran, Billings Gazette (June 21, 2019).
  188. ^ Phil Drake, Gianforte votes to oppose troop pullout in Syria, Great Falls Tribune (October 17, 2019).
  189. ^ Tim Ryan, Without Gianforte, House passes $15 minimum wage, Courthouse News Service/Missoula Current (July 18, 2019).
  190. ^ House passes rebuke of Trump’s emergency; Gianforte defends president, Courthouse News Service/Missoula Current (February 2019).
  191. ^ Perrin Stein, Congressional delegation differs in climate change views, Bozeman Daily Chronicle (October 25, 2019).
  192. ^ DeVynck, Gerritt (June 6, 2017). "Before Body Slam, Gianforte Was 'Godfather' of Montana Tech, people who worked at the new congressman's software companies say he could be overbearing but not violent". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  193. ^ Hawkings, David. "Wealth of Congress, Richer Than Ever, but Mostly at the Very Top". Roll Call. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  194. ^ "Interior Subcommittee website". Oversight.House.Gov. United States House of Representatives. November 18, 2018. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  195. ^ "Members". Congressional Western Caucus. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  196. ^ O'Brien, Edward (June 14, 2019). "Rep Greg Gianforte Launches Gubernatorial Campaign". Montana Public Radio. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  197. ^ Brown, Matthew (January 26, 2020). "Gianforte plays up Trump ties in Montana race". The Lewiston Tribune. The Lewiston Tribune. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  198. ^ holly.michels@lee.net, HOLLY K. MICHELS. "AP calls race for Gianforte". Helena Independent Record. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  199. ^ Gianforte, Susan (May 17, 2014). "Commencement address at Montana Tech". The Montana Standard. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  200. ^ "About Us". Gianforte Family Foundation. 2018.
  201. ^ Distefano, Joseph (April 4, 2016). "Taking Upper Merion lessons to Montana". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  202. ^ "About Greg". gregformontana.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  203. ^ "About Greg". GregforMontana.com. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  204. ^ "Roll Call Congressional Directory listing: Rep. Greg Gianforte". Congressional Quarterly's Roll Call. November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  205. ^ Kuglin, Tom (May 5, 2018). "Congressional candidate Greg Gianforte says he self-reported illegally killed elk in 2000". Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  206. ^ Greg Gianforte, Randy Newberg (March 24, 2016). Randy talks hunting issues with Greg Gianforte, Montana candidate for Governor (Radio broadcast). Hunt Talk Radio. Archived from the original on November 27, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  207. ^ "Greg Gianforte and Jeong Kim Announced as Stevens Institute of Technology's 2012 Commencement Speakers". prweb.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  208. ^ Schmidt, Carol (April 3, 2007). "Four to receive MSU honorary doctorate degrees". MSU News Service. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  209. ^ magazine, the Editors of CRM (September 1, 2007). "The 2007 Market Awards: Hall of Fame". destinationcrm.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  210. ^ Stevens Institute of Technology's Stevens Honor Award Archived September 6, 2004, at the Wayback Machine
  211. ^ "Ernst & Young Names RightNow Founder Greg Gianforte Pacific Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year; Innovation, Outstanding Business Performance, and Personal Commitment Cited in Software Category Award Presentation. - Free Online Library". thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  212. ^ "MT Governor - R Primary 2016". November 2, 2017.
  213. ^ "MT Governor 2016". January 29, 2017.
  214. ^ "MT At-Large - Special Election 2017". November 8, 2018.
  215. ^ "MT At-Large 2018". April 22, 2019.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Greg Gianforte.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Greg Gianforte.
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Governor of Montana
2016, 2020 		Most recent
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Montana's at-large congressional district
2017–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Representatives by seniority
328th 		Succeeded by

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greg_Gianforte&oldid=987460742"