Sam Forstag

Forstag was born in Ohio,^[5] and raised mostly by a single mother who worked as an ICU nurse in Portland, Oregon.^[6] He moved to Montana in 2012,^[5] and worked multiple jobs to pay for his undergraduate education at the University of Montana, where he studied philosophy and political science and was elected student body president.^[6][7]

After graduation in 2017, he took a job as a wildland firefighter in order to pay off student loan debt, intending to apply to law school.^[6] Instead he served as a wildland firefighter for eight years, including four years as a smokejumper.^[8][9] During the off seasons, he worked as an organizer and lobbyist for the Montana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and for lobbying group Central House Strategies, where he represented the city of Missoula.^[9][10] In 2025, he became vice president of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) Local 60, where he represents approximately 800 U.S. Forest Service workers.^[6][11]

As the Democratic Party nominee in the 2026 election for the Montana 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives he will face Republican nominee Aaron Flint and Libertarian nominee Nick Sheedy.^[8] The winner will replace incumbent Republican Ryan Zinke.^[12][13] Forstag's Congressional campaign has focused on protecting public land, alongside economic issues such as housing and health care affordability.^[1][14][15] He has been endorsed by union groups and national progressive leaders, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.^[16][17][18] He was endorsed by the Blue Dog PAC, a coalition of moderate Democrats.^[19] Forstag also has been endorsed by Representative Susie Lee, who is his aunt.^[11]