Greg Gianforte got over $116,000 in donations after assaulting Guardian reporter
Source: The Guardian
Greg Gianforte got over $116,000 in donations after assaulting Guardian reporter
Filing shows congressmans campaign saw surge in donations after attack
Twenty-five donations consisted of the maximum amount allowed
Jamiles Lartey
Tuesday 27 June 2017 23.41 BST
The Republican congressman Greg Gianforte may have earned himself a head start on fundraising for his next campaign when he body-slammed a Guardian reporter on the eve of his victory in Montanas special election, according to a recent filing.
The report from the Federal Election Committee shows that the day after the incident, Gianfortes campaign brought more donation money than it had in the prior five days combined, including 25 donations of the maximum $2,700 allowed by law from an individual to a given candidate. For perspective, the day before the assault, Gianforte had received two such maximum donations. The day before that, he received none. In total, the campaign collected more than $116,000 after the attack.
The FEC filing is consistent with statements made by Gianfortes campaign on election day that more than $100,000 had come in since the incident.
The surge in donations also corresponded with election day, which could also have pushed some people to donate but election day fundraising spikes are also not typical, as it is more or less too late for a campaign to do anything with the money.
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Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/27/greg-gianforte-donations-guardian-reporter-assault