Sam Forstag, a smokejumper and union leader in Montana, announced today that he’s running as a Democrat against incumbent Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT). Forstag said: “Montanans have been breaking their backs just to fall further behind. Together, we can build an economy that works for working people.”
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) replied with his endorsement: “Sam is a smokejumper who jumps out of planes to fight fires, a union leader who has fought against Elon Musk’s attacks on public servants and an advocate fighting for public services and civil liberties in Montana.”
Sam is a smokejumper who jumps out of planes to fight fires, a union leader who has fought against Elon Musk’s attacks on public servants and an advocate fighting for public services and civil liberties in Montana.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 5, 2026
I'm proud to endorse @SamForstag for Congress. https://t.co/ksCunSRV7P
Forstag wrote of Zinke: “My opponent @RyanZinke has billionaires and corporations behind him, but I’m not accepting a dime of corporate PAC money in this campaign. Pitch in today to show that it’s time for a new generation of leadership in Congress.”
Zinke’s spokesperson Heather Swift claimed of Forstag: “Sam Forstag represents Mamdani not Montana. He literally stood with Bernie Sanders and AOC rallying against Montanans last year.”
Swift referred to Forstag as a lobbyist for ACLU and accused him of trying to “turn Montana into failed California.” She added, “Forstag may have national money but he won’t have Montana’s votes.”
Note: Zinke was the U.S. Secretary of Interior during the first two years of the first Trump administration. The Washington Post reported in 2022 that the Interior “department’s inspector general found Zinke had repeated contact with developers about a real estate deal and lied about it to an ethics official. The Justice Department declined to bring charges.”
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