Missoula Democratic smokejumper enters U.S. House race to unseat Rep. Zinke

A Missoula-based wildland firefighter and Democratic activist announced his bid Monday morning to unseat Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke from the U.S. House.

Sam Forstag, a smokejumper for the U.S. Forest Service and local union leader, is the third Democrat to officially enter the race.

National Democrats are looking to end the Republican trifecta in Washington D.C. by taking back control of the U.S. House.

In his announcement, which was first reported by CBS News, Forstag focused his message around affordability, something that Democrats in other states credit for recent off-year election wins.

"Folks are breaking their backs barely getting by. Can't afford the doctor; priced out of house and home; just one surprise bill away from devastation," Forstag said in the announcement video.

"I'm running for Congress because I'm done pretending the rich and powerful are going to take care of us," he added.

Forstag previously lobbied for the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana, an organization that frequently opposes Republican-led culture war bills, at the Montana Legislature, and in his last session as a lobbyist in 2023 he also worked for a coalition of homeless shelters, the Montana Innocence Project and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana. He also was president of the Associated Students of the University of Montana.

Last year, he spoke at a Missoula rally headlined by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Sanders endorsed Forstag Monday morning shortly after the announcement of his candidacy.

Between Zinke and Forstag, both have the credentials to run on their protection of public lands: Forstag works to eliminate fires on public lands as a wildland firefighter for the federal government, and Zinke was integral in removing a provision of a recent domestic policy and tax cut bill that would have allowed for the sale of around 500,000 acres of public lands in Utah and Nevada.

Zinke is running for a fifth term in the U.S. House, but he resigned during President Donald Trump’s first term to be secretary of the interior in 2017. He ultimately stepped down from that position amid several federal investigations and went on to get re-elected to the U.S. House in 2022.

"Sam Forstag represents [Zohran] Mamdani not Montana. He literally stood with Bernie Sanders and AOC rallying against Montanans last year," Heather Swift, Zinke's campaign manager, wrote in a social media post.

"Forstag may have national money but he won’t have Montana’s votes," she later added.

In 2024, Zinke won the seat by nearly eight points, and a narrower three points in the 2022 general election. The 1st congressional district, which includes the Democratic strongholds of Bozeman and Missoula, is a newly created district and has never been held by a Democrat.

The primary election is June 2 and the general election is Nov. 3.