Sam Forstag declared victory Tuesday night in Montana’s western congressional district after Republican Aaron Flint called to concede and wish him well. Decision Desk HQ projected Forstag as the winner, while the Associated Press had not called the race as of 8 a.m. Wednesday.
With just over 229,000 votes counted Wednesday morning, Forstag held 50% of the vote. Flint had 47%, while Nick Sheedy had 3%.
A Democratic Return to Montana’s House Delegation
Forstag, a 32-year-old former wildland firefighter and union leader from Missoula, will succeed Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke in the 1st Congressional District. The district includes Kalispell, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman.
Zinke has represented the district since Montana was again divided into two congressional districts in 2022. He announced he would not seek another term and endorsed Flint.
Forstag campaigned on bringing the voices of working Montanans to Congress. Addressing supporters shortly before 11:30 Tuesday night, he said, “Friends, we are looking pretty good right now.”
He also said, “The only way we fix this is we send working-class people to Washington so that we can go fight for ourselves.”
Historical Significance
Forstag’s victory would make him Montana’s youngest member of Congress since the 1930s. He is also the first Democratic candidate to win a congressional race in Montana since Jon Tester’s victory in 2018.
Montana has not had a Democrat in the U.S. House since Pat Williams retired in 1996. The Associated Press had not formally called the race by Wednesday morning, despite the projection and Flint’s concession call.