MONTANA: Quist could win. Gianforte could win. But Montana will not be anybody's referendum on Trump and the Russians. If anything beyond local and two people each with a different background, it would touch the Ryancare debacle, public land mistrusts, and Trump and his populist campaign rhetoric followed by a Cabinet of Dominionists and billionaires, (in the DeVos case, the most egregious, a foot in each such distasteful camp and aggresively so). It will be soon after a corporatist Dem presidential candidate showed insufficient rust belt traction and tune-time "Stronger Together" rang as false as Podesta brother lobbying and Robby Mook as a cracker jack consultant. Screw the balloon drops. Get to fixing the wealth/income distribution fairer and however needed, kill Citizens United.

A Gianforte loss would teach the Republicans the super-wealthy have to remain back pulling the puppet strings not running themselves so that Scott Walker grifter-conscience types remain their hope. It would teach the Dems too. There are people hungering for fairness and they will be a massive grassroots mechanism to wrest control, if there is to be one. Berniecrats and corporatists can watch; and a message about any unity tour in which the wrong group captured DNC leadership will be apparent. Expect Quist to at least do as well as the Kansas special election candidate the DC corporatist money managers hung out to dry, totally and to their detriment.

Keith Ellison likely is watching this election, although he has first and foremost duties remaining in the House, in session or out. Not that Minnesota's CD5 is insecure, but he has to keep his promises to serve the district well and fairly. Because he is a man of conscience.

UPDATE: The grassroots enthusiasm and contribution support for Quist will be the paradigm. Since the DNC was taken as it was apart from grssroot sentiment, the message is fund the candidacy that resonates with you as to message and the appearance of actual integrity; and let Hiam Saban fund his thing, Goldman Sachs funding theirs - both parties. Routing money through the DNC, after Debbie Wasserman Schultz and after what was done by the establishment to Ellison even with Schumer and Reid having endorsed Ellison is a lesson. They are allies on organizing, on gaining a majority, but not on reform, be it Single Payer or otherwise. Be sensible but open to reasonableness. Push but do not alienate. Show who belongs in the driver's seat, and wait for it to sink in. Public servant is a term insufficiently used or honored, but one with a message.

FURTHER: Let the Republicans give their money to Norm Coleman and Vin Weber. They have money to waste. We do not. We need care and discretion in spending, just as in buying groceries with stagnant-incomes the problem. If things can be done right, we may end up sending the plutocrats to Pluto.

And tell the Russians: We don't need any more Boris Yeltsins here. The ones we have we need to retire.