Well...the guy in question is fairly widely disliked in the state (I've met him a few times -- seemed ok but he believes the earth is 4k years old which is .... just weird). He was elected I think because a) many people vote Republican regardless (see Trump) and b) mail in votes had already been counted at the time and this is a state with a high proportion of mail in ballots. I really wouldn't take his actions as any example of the vibe in the state. He isn't from Montana fwiw. If you want an example of bad political vibe from Montana you'd be more on the mark with Zinke.