U.S. House of Representatives, Montana 1st Congressional District

Sam Forstag is a working Montanan, union leader, and smokejumper who is running to put working people first – to lower costs, raise wages, and fight corruption in Washington. After putting himself through school at the University of Montana, Sam climbed the ranks in the U.S. Forest Service to become a smokejumper, an elite firefighter who puts their life on the line parachuting into the wilderness to fight wildfires. As Vice President of National Federation of Federal Employees’ (NFFE) Local 60, Sam took a stand when Elon Musk took a chainsaw to public land agencies, organizing against the cuts and trying to get Ryan Zinke to act. Fed up with Zinke’s failure to fight for Western Montana as workers lost their jobs and costs skyrocketed, Sam decided to run for Congress himself to finally give working people a voice. While Zinke’s hand-picked successor Aaron Flint prioritizes shady backroom deals and championing reckless, cost-hiking policies, Sam is focused on finally delivering for Western Montana.

Bernie Sanders endorsed. Progressive change candidate.

He believes housing costs in Montana have reached a crisis level. He will fight for federal investments in affordable housing construction and community-driven solutions so that working-class families aren’t priced out of the communities they live and work in.

At a time when working people are being crushed by rising housing costs, unaffordable healthcare, scarce childcare, and a political system dominated by corporate money, Sam Forstag is bringing something desperately needed to Congress: real working-class representation.

Signed The AI PACT, the Political Integrity Project's five-point pledge: end data center tax breaks and backroom deals, require independent safety review of every major AI model before release, create an AI dividend sharing gains with displaced workers, make AI companies legally accountable for harms, and refuse taxpayer bailouts for AI firms. Moderate on AI safety and regulation, strong on data center opposition, moderate public voice on AI.

After working his way through the University of Montana, Sam Forstag became a smokejumper with the Forest Service, eventually joining the union and becoming active in fighting for Montanans. Between fire season, Forstag organized for public education, libraries, healthcare, and constitutional freedoms. When Elon Musk tried to gut the Forest Service and public land agencies, Sam — Vice President of his union — pushed against the cuts. He has vowed to “fight to make sure Congress exercises its constitutional duties of oversight and war powers and ensure that we’re not rubber stamping billions in spending for wars that we don’t want or need. I’ll also fight to pass the Audit the Pentagon Act. When people at home are struggling to afford the basics, we should be investing in helping Americans meet their basic needs at home, not dropping more bombs overseas.”

Endorsed by Bernie Sanders

As a fifth-generation Montanan, Aaron Flint understands the biggest issues Montana faces and is ready to tackle them head on. From addressing the housing crisis to promoting job training, Aaron is committed to advancing pro-growth policies that impact local communities and create new opportunities for Montana families and communities to thrive.

For the first time, SEIU 775 Montana participated in the endorsement process for an open congressional seat. Our members interviewed four candidates over two evenings and emerged with an enthusiastic endorsement of union leader and smokejumper Sam Forstag for Montana’s First Congressional District.