Republican Greg Gianforte flips Montana governor seat

Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte has flipped Montana's governor seat red against state Lieutenant Gov. Mike Cooney (D), AP projects.

• Gianforte was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016. He rose to national attention in 2018 after body-slamming a reporter. He later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault.

The big picture: Gov. Steve Bullock (D) was ineligible to run because of term limits and is now running for the U.S. Senate. The Cook Political Report rated Gianforte's race as a toss-up.