Republican multimillionaire Greg Gianforte won
 Montana's only U.S. House seat on Thursday despite
 being charged a day earlier with assault after
witnesses said he grabbed a reporter by the neck
 and threw him to the ground.
Gianforte, a technology entrepreneur, defeated
 Democrat Rob Quist to continue the GOP's two-
decade stronghold on the congressional seat.
Democrats had hoped Quist, a musician and first-time
 candidate, could have capitalized on a wave of
activism following President Donald Trump's election.
Instead, the win reaffirmed Montana's voters support
 for Trump's young presidency in a conservative-
leaning state that voted overwhelmingly for him in
November.
Gianforte was a strong favorite throughout the
 campaign and that continued even after authorities
charged him with misdemeanor assault on
Wednesday. Witnesses said he grabbed Ben
Jacobs, a reporter for the Guardian newspaper,
and slammed him to the ground after being asked
about the Republican health care bill.
Gianforte dropped out of sight after he was cited by
police and ignored calls on Thursday by national
Republicans for him to apologize to the reporter.
He emerged only at his victory celebration Thursday
night, where he said he accepted responsibility for
the incident. "Last night I made a mistake and I took
 an action I can't take back and I am not proud of what
 happened," Gianforte told the crowd. "I should not
have responded the way I did and for that I am sorry."