AOC, Forstag rally Missoula to get out the vote before June 2 Montana's Democratic primary

Five days out from the June 2 primary, U.S. Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez touched down in Missoula on Thursday to propel Sam Forstag’s momentum late in Montana’s Democratic primary for the western congressional district.

Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive leader in national Democratic politics, sensed she as a New Yorker was out of place in a district that’s comprised heavily of agriculture and public lands, but quickly worked to cast her otherness as little more than a social construct.

“There’s a lot of suspicion around the city girl,” she said. “But I also think it’s important for us to note that a lot of that is intended to divide us because what the folks and the big money don’t want us to realize is that we’re actually, in our struggles, far more common than our landscapes.”

Affordability issues, framed by housing and healthcare costs, and working-class values embodied by unions led the evening’s get-out-the-vote rally at the Wilma Theater in downtown Missoula.

Attendance was 820, far below the 1,500 person capacity. But Ocasio-Cortez repeatedly referenced the 7,500-person crowd that gathered in Missoula a year ago when she, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Forstag stumped against the ongoing DOGE cuts at the time perpetuated by Elon Musk’s brief stint in the Trump administration.

Forstag then was merely a union leader in the U.S. Forest Service and a former lobbyist for progressive causes, but that stage is widely seen as his diving board into electoral politics.

“When Elon Musk tried to gut the Forest Service that kept the state running, Ryan Zinke didn't stand up for Montana,” Ocasio-Cortez said on Thursday. “Sam made sure Montanans knew exactly what was at stake, the firefighters who protect the towns, the rangers who keep our public lands open and the wages and benefits of working people in every corner of this state.”

One of the crowd’s biggest crescendos of the evening came when Ocasio-Cortez spoke in support of "The Montana Plan,” a ballot initiative campaign to ban corporate spending in Montana.

Forstag, a first-time candidate, saw significant gains in fundraising in the latest reporting period, piling up more than any Democrat or Republican from April to mid-May. Whether that translates to votes remains to be seen; Ryan Busse, the 2024 Democratic nominee in Montana’s contest for governor, holds far more name recognition. But Forstag’s profile as a smokejumper and union man has earned him headlines in national media.

On Thursday, he framed his campaign as a chance to put a working-class candidate into the driver’s seat to fix affordability issues.

“It is not too late to build a country, to build a future where every person can work one good job and afford a roof over their head,” he said. “...The people we elect are the policies we get, (and) Congress should not just be a place for the rich and powerful.”

Bonnie Tadej said she was struck by how relatable Forstag was and the energy he ginned up in the crowd.

There was only one problem. She had already voted by mail for Busse, the candidate whose name she recognized most when the ballot arrived in her mailbox.

“I wish I would have voted for Forstag,” Tadej said.

The friend who suggested the pair attend the rally, Shauna Miller, had been on the fence between Russell Cleveland and Forstag, but by the time the night was over she said her mind was made up: she’d be voting for the “down-home guy.”

“That’s what Montanans need to get back to,” she said about Forstag’s working-class message.

Multiple voters said the support of Ocasio-Cortez helped to move them in Forstag’s direction. One person said getting the stamp of approval from one of Congress’ most prominent working-class advocates proved Forstag was for real, not a convenient political trope.

“When she says something, I listen,” said Annie Schick, a public school teacher and union member in Missoula.

Montana’s primary is June 2.

Montana State News Bureau reporter Carly Graf contributed to this story.