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Montana voted Thursday to fill the U.S. House seat vacated in March by now-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke .

Democrat Rob Quist, a populist progressive cowboy poet known for his career as a bluegrass singer, supports single-payer health care, legalizing marijuana and funding more arts programs in schools. Republican Greg Gianforte, a tech entrepreneur who moved to the state in 1995, is a hard-line social conservative who backs the deeply unpopular GOP bill to replace Obamacare and wants to turn over control of public lands to the state. Late Thursday, early poll results indicated a close contest.

Gianforte, who narrowly lost a bid for governor last year, is favored to win the seat that Zinke handily won re-election to in November. But Gianfortes own strategists describe him as basically an unpopular incumbent trying to get re-elected.

Gianforte had a 6-point lead over Quist in a poll released this month by a Democratic political action committee. But internal GOP polling has shifted against Gianforte amid proliferating scandals coming from the White House, conservative blogger and radio host Erick Erickson reported this month.

The election took an unexpected turn Wednesday evening, when Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs accused Gianforte of body-slamming him. In audio that Jacobs recorded, the reporter asked Gianforte how he felt about the Republican health care bill in light of the analysis of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that came out earlier in the day. (Gianforte had previously claimed he would have voted against it, because without an updated CBO report, he lacked the data to assess its merits.)

The audio then cuts to the sound of a scuffle.

Im sick and tired of you guys, Gianforte says. The last time you came here you did the same thing. Get the hell out of here!

Jesus Christ, Jacobs said. You just body slammed me and broke my glasses.

Get the hell out of here, Gianforte says again.

If youd like me to get the hell out of here, Id also like to call the police, Jacobs says.

Gianfortes campaign blamed Jacobs for the altercation, saying the reporter had pushed a phone into his face. Jacobs grabbed Gregs wrist and spun away from Greg, pushing them both to the ground, campaign spokesman Shane Scanlon said in a statement. Its unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene.

Gianforte was reportedly set to be interviewed by Fox News reporter Alicia Acuna when Jacobs interrupted. In a written account of what she witnessed, Acuna said Gianforte manhandled Jacobs, even though Jacobs did not show any form of physical aggression toward Gianforte.

At that point, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him, Acuna wrote. She said the TV crew watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began punching the man, as he moved on top the reporter and began yelling something to the effect of Im sick and tired of this!