Discovery Insights Elections Candidates Calendar Watchlist

Democrat

Sam Forstag

Visit Website

Democrat

Sam Forstag

Website

MT-01 Democratic nominee?

$102.1K

JUN 9, 2026

Primary Election

Party selects its nominee.

Overview

Current roleWildland firefighter

PartyDemocratic

Political ideologyProgressive Democrat

Age32 years old (May 23, 1994)

LocationMontana

BackgroundWildland firefighter

EducationUniversity of Montana (studied philosophy and political science)

Notable personal detailsSamuel Kelley Forstag is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in Montana’s 1st Congressional District in the 2026 cycle. He has worked in wildland fire for the U.S. Forest Service, including as a smokejumper, and has been active in labor organizing. He attended the University of Montana, where he studied philosophy and political science.

SourcesShow

docquery.fec.gov samformontana.com mtpr.org en.wikipedia.org fec.gov projects.montanafreepress.org postman.com efoservices.fec.gov webforms.fec.gov developer.ballotpedia.org filpac.com api.open.fec.gov thecandidate.com ravallicounty.gov reddit.com nffe.org ypradio.org dailymontanan.com ktvq.com smokejumpers.com thebench.org centralhousestrategies.com ravdems.com montanademocrats.org flatheadbeacon.com scholarworks.umt.edu theorg.com kulr8.com montanarightnow.com liberalpatriot.com politicalemails.org mtvoters.org bozemandailychronicle.com nbcmontana.com c-span.org ourrevolution.com commondefense.us afge.org weareprogressives.org montanafreepress.org cbsnews.com facebook.com nytimes.com foxnews.com talkingpointsmemo.com liberalcurrents.com mshale.com instagram.com ballotready.org votesmart.org ncsl.org legislation.ballotpedia.org voterguide.ballotpedia.org cdn.ballotpedia.org

Positions

LiberalConservative

Economy & Taxes

Supports public funding for services and opposes tax cuts for the wealthy that would reduce funding for programs like Medicaid and public services. Emphasizes protecting public-sector workers and funding for education and higher education.

Healthcare

Supports making healthcare more affordable and expanding access, including addressing behavioral health funding and Medicaid reimbursement issues. Emphasizes that working families should be able to afford basic health insurance that actually provides care.

Immigration & Border

Supports limiting local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and emphasizes oversight and accountability for immigration authorities while framing immigration as not a local criminal crisis. Opposes mandatory local enforcement cooperation with ICE and highlights research showing immigrants are less likely to commit crimes.

Climate & Energy

The candidate emphasizes protecting public lands and federal land-management agencies and has spoken against proposed cuts to the U.S. Forest Service; public materials and press coverage highlight his experience as a smokejumper and union leader defending public lands and agency workers but do not lay out specific climate or energy policy proposals.

News

AINews Summary

Last updatedJul 15, 2026

Sam Forstag is being discussed in the context of the 2026 Senate race, as Democrats look for ways to compete in Republican-leaning states. Recent coverage says the party may need to moderate its message and could back independents in some races. The broader political opening in Montana has also drawn attention after Senator Steve Daines announced his retirement.

docquery.fec.gov+53

Articles

MMMissoula Missoulian5 months ago