Smokejumper and Union Leader Sam Forstag Launches Congressional Bid Against Ryan Zinke in Montana
Sam Forstag, a smokejumper who parachutes into wildfires, is now diving into the political arena, aiming to unseat Republican Congressman Ryan Zinke in Montana's first congressional district. Forstag, who also served as vice-president of the Forest Service Council Local 60, believes that pro-worker policies can flip this district from a Trump ally to Democratic control.
From Firefighting to Political Fighting: Forstag's Motivation
Forstag's decision to run stems from a personal and professional crisis. Last year, he witnessed the abrupt termination of a quarter of US Forest Service workers in Montana, part of federal job cuts. "They fired 300 people in the Forest Service in one day. These folks had no cause in their termination paperwork. They had no notice," Forstag recounted. He shared harrowing stories, including a woman undergoing cancer treatment who was fired after 15 years of service, and a worker notified of his dismissal via text while in line for his mother's funeral flight.
Although the jobs were later reinstated after a court ruling, Forstag said this experience highlighted how dispensable workers are to those in power. "It's the same story that it always is. It's working people getting screwed while rich people get a whole lot richer," he stated. This pushed him to challenge Zinke, Trump's former interior secretary, whom he accuses of failing to represent the district adequately.
Ryan Zinke's Record and Forstag's Criticisms
Ryan Zinke, who resigned from the Trump administration in 2018 amid ethics investigations, saw his net worth soar from $2 million in early 2017 to over $30 million by late 2021 through real estate and investments. He returned to Congress in 2022 and won reelection in 2024 on a platform of stonewalling the Biden administration. Forstag criticizes Zinke for absences from town halls and efforts to open public lands for mining and drilling, while portraying himself as a defender of these lands.
"He is as two-faced as anyone you could possibly imagine," Forstag said. "[Zinke] votes down the line to gut all our public lands agencies, so that he and his rich, corporate friends can turn a bigger profit at all of our expense." Zinke's office did not respond to requests for comment on these allegations.
The Political Landscape and Forstag's Platform
National Democrats view Montana's first congressional district as a potential pickup to help flip the House majority in the 2026 midterms, but it remains a tight race in a state dominated by Republicans. Forstag must first secure the Democratic nomination, facing candidates like Ryan Busse, a former firearms executive who lost in the 2024 gubernatorial race.
Forstag is centering his campaign on workers' rights, arguing that the Democratic party needs to reconnect with the working class. "There is genuinely a fundamental lack of representation for working people in federal office right now, and that has serious, substantive effects on what kind of policies they actually prioritize and what they pass," he emphasized. His platform includes expanding affordable housing, offering universal childcare, and fixing the broken US healthcare system.
"You should be able to work a good job in this state [and] in this country and afford housing and health coverage," Forstag said. "The primary function of government is to step in when the market is not meeting a need and to make people's lives materially better. And it seems like some people at the national level forgot about that."
Broader Trend of Union Members in Politics
Forstag is part of a growing trend of former federal employees and union members running for Congress in the 2026 midterms. This includes United Auto Workers members in New York and a firefighters' union leader in Pennsylvania, all advocating for stronger labor representation. At a rally in Missoula headlined by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in April 2025, Forstag spoke passionately about protecting workers and public lands, stating, "What we're facing today isn't a wildfire, but it's damn sure an emergency."
As the race heats up, Forstag's unique background as a smokejumper and union leader could resonate with voters seeking change, but he faces an uphill battle against an incumbent with significant resources and a Republican-leaning electorate.
