Sam Forstag
Sam Forstag | |
|---|---|
 Forstag in 2026 | |
| Member-elect of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana's 1st district | |
| Assuming office January 3, 2027 | |
| Succeeding | Ryan Zinke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Samuel Kelley Forstag May 23, 1994 Ohio, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Relatives | Susie Lee (aunt) |
| Education | University of Montana (BA) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Samuel Kelley Forstag (born May 23, 1994) is an American labor union leader, politician, and former smokejumper who is the U.S. representative-elect for Montana's 1st congressional district.
Early life and education
Forstag was born in Ohio, and raised mostly by a single mother who worked as an ICU nurse in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from Jesuit High School. He was raised Roman Catholic, though his father's family is Jewish of Latvian origin.
Forstag moved to Montana in 2012, 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.
Career
After graduating in 2017, Forstag took a job as a wildland firefighter to pay off student loan debt, intending to apply to law school. Instead he served as a wildland firefighter for eight years, including four years as a smokejumper. 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. 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.
2026 U.S. House of Representatives campaign
As the Democratic Party nominee in the 2026 election for the Montana 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, Forstag faced Republican nominee Aaron Flint and Libertarian nominee Nick Sheedy. On November 3, 2026, he defeated Flint and Sheedy, becoming the first Democrat elected to the U.S. House from Montana since Pat Williams in 1990.
Forstag's congressional campaign focused on protecting public land, alongside economic issues such as housing and health care affordability. He was endorsed by union groups and national progressive leaders, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He was endorsed by the Blue Dog PAC, a coalition of moderate Democrats. Forstag was also endorsed by his aunt Representative Susie Lee.
Personal life
Forstag resides in Missoula with his longtime partner, Allie Hay, the director of philanthropy for Planned Parenthood's Montana chapter.