Gianforte loans himself $1 million in bid for Montana U.S. House seat

HELENA – Republican Greg Gianforte has dipped into his own pocketbook by loaning himself $1 million to finance his bid for Montana’s seat in the U.S. House.

New filings with the Federal Election Commission show the Bozeman Republican has raised more than $3.4 million since launching his bid for Congress.

A May 25 special election will determine who heads to Washington to fill the seat vacated by Ryan Zinke, now President Donald Trump’s Interior secretary.

Democrat Rob Quist has collected nearly $3.3 million through May 5, with $3.2 million of his haul coming from individual donors.

During his unsuccessful bid for governor last year, Gianforte contributed about $6 million of his own money toward his own campaign.

Meanwhile, outside independent campaign groups have spent at least $5.1 million on the race.