Jessica Estepa

USA TODAY

Musician Rob Quist, the Democratic candidate in Montana's at-large congressional race, performed a number of times over the years at a nudist resort in Idaho.

Quist, a cowboy poet who is locally famous in his home state, was paid to perform at the Sun Meadow Resort in Idaho. According to his campaign, he doesn't discriminate about which gigs he takes.

And no, Quist is not a nudist himself, nor does he perform in the nude.

"This is just a naked attempt to distract voters from (Republican rival) Greg Gianforte's shady Russian investments," Tina Olechowski, Quist's communications director, said in an email.

Quist is currently locked in a battle against Republican Greg Gianforte and Libertarian Mark Wicks to fill Montana's at-large seat, which was vacated when former congressman Ryan Zinke became Interior secretary this year.

The story, first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, was blasted out Wednesday by the Republican National Committee. According to the Free Beacon, Quist performed at the resort at least four times from 2009 to 2014.

"The more Rob Quist's past is laid bare, the more his claim to represent Montana values is exposed as another charade," National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Jack Pandol said in an email. "When all is stripped away, this washed-up hippie is just a naked embarrassment to the voters he's running to represent."

A photo of Quist and his daughter, Halladay, performing at the resort was featured on the resort's homepage as of Wednesday morning, but appeared to be taken down later that afternoon.

His opponent Gianforte, a multimillionaire who lost the state's gubernatorial election last year to Democrat Steve Bullock, is considered to be the favorite in the race.

While other congressional special elections have received national attention for being referendums on the Trump administration, Quist's campaign insists that this race is about the person, not the party. While the at-large seat has been held by a Republican for the past 20 years, the state has elected Democrats to two of its top spots: Gov. Bullock and Sen. Jon Tester.

"This is going to come down to the candidates," Olechowski said.

The special election is on May 25.