House candidates release 2nd quarter fundraising

Phil Drake | Great Falls Tribune

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Candidates for Montana's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives released figures for second quarter fundraising Thursday, with incumbent GOP Rep. Greg Gianforte saying he raised more than $822,000 and Democrat Kathleen Williams said her campaign raised more than $581,000 during the same time.

The figures were ahead of Sunday's filing deadline with the Federal Election Commission.

Kevin Gardner, Gianforte's campaign manager, said Gianforte was a “strong conservative voice for Montana in Washington, D.C."

"Montanans are standing side-by-side with Greg Gianforte, and he is grateful for support from every corner of our state,” Gardner said.



Andrew Markoff, campaign manager for Williams, said people want change in Congress.

"We deeply appreciate the overwhelming support from Montanans as we join together to elect a representative who will be there for all of us," he said

Williams' post-primary fundraising averaged nearly $20,000 per day with a final cash-on-hand balance of $462,000. Her campaign said 80 percent of the funds came from Montana.

Gianforte said he has more than $1.3 million cash on hand for the Nov. 6 election and has raised $1.5 million since Jan. 1, his campaign said.

Gianforte, a high-tech entrepreneur and multimillionaire from Bozeman, has been in the House of Representatives since May 2017, when he won a special election to fill the seat vacated by Ryan Zinke, who was appointed secretary of the interior for President Donald Trump.

Williams, also a Bozeman resident, is a former state lawmaker who had a natural resources career in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

Libertarian Elinor Swanson is also in the race.

On Wednesday, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Matt Rosendale says he raised $700,000 over the three weeks following his Republican primary victory on June 5.

He said he raised more than $1 million total between April 1 and June 30.

Rosendale is running for the seat now held by incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, who is seeking a third term.

Tester's campaign has not yet released his latest fundraising numbers. In mid-May, Tester had more than $6 million in the bank.

Also in the senate race is Libertarian candidate Rick Breckenridge.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. Reach Phil Drake at 406-422-0772 or pdrake@greatfallstribune.com.