Troy Downing wins Montana's eastern U.S. House race

Republican Troy Downing has won Montana's eastern U.S. House race by a wide margin over Democrat John Driscoll.

Returns Wednesday morning showed Downing with a 66% vote share, or 174,247 votes. Driscoll, with 89,545 votes, or a 34% vote share, got the most bang for his buck. The Democrat was determined to spend less than $5,000 on the election.

On Wednesday, Downing told Montana Free Press he is already lobbying Republican House leadership for committee assignments and a possible freshman leadership role. Downing is currently Montana state auditor.

"I've been lobbying really hard on trying to...