April 02, 2026
Three Montana Labor Organizations Endorse Union Leader Sam Forstag in MT-01 Democratic Primary
Montana AFL-CIO, SEIU 775, and the Montana Alliance for Retired Americans throw support behind Forstag as candidate best positioned to fight for working Montanans
MONTANA – A group of three labor organizations – the Montana AFL-CIO, a federation of 38 unions representing more than 50,000 union members, retirees, and their families, SEIU 775 which represents hundreds of long-term care workers across the state, and the Montana Alliance for Retired Americans, a grassroots advocacy organization with more than 10,900 members statewide – are all endorsing smokejumper and union leader Sam Forstag in the MT-01 Democratic primary election.
“Montana deserves a new voice that listens to our concerns and fights for our priorities in Congress, and nobody in this race understands that perspective better than Sam Forstag,” said Montana AFL-CIO Executive Secretary Jason Small. “Sam has spent his career defending our public lands as a wildland firefighter, serving as Vice President of his local union, and fighting for our rights and freedoms as an organizer. We trust Sam because he is one of us, and we’re endorsing him because we know he’s the best candidate to win MT-01 and deliver the strong leadership and real results that working Montanans are demanding.”
“Sam Forstag knows that Americans have earned the Social Security and Medicare benefits they rely on, and he will battle every day to protect and strengthen them,” said Moffie Funk, Secretary of the Montana Alliance for Retired Americans. “Sam earned the endorsement of the Alliance for Retired Americans by promising to put the needs of older Montanans ahead of the corporations and special interests in Washington. We can count on him to work to increase Social Security benefits, make the wealthiest pay their fair share into the system, make health care more affordable, and lower the cost of prescription drugs.”
“Our union, SEIU 775, is proud to endorse Sam Forstag in Montana’s 1st Congressional District,” said Caregiver and SEIU 775 Executive Board Member Winifred Schafer. “Sam knows what it’s like to live on low wages and fight for working people because he’s done it himself. It’s exciting to have someone with his energy and heart stepping up to represent us.”
Sam Forstag recently served as the Vice President of NFFE Local 60, which represents 800 U.S. Forest Service workers across the Lolo, Bitterroot, and Custer-Gallatin National Forests.
You can read more about his platform HERE.
Contact Andy Bixler for interviews.
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Contact: Andy Bixler, abixler@mtaflcio.org
