Sam Forstag, a union leader and smoke jumper backed by big-name progressive leaders, won the Democratic primary on Tuesday in a U.S. House district in western Montana, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
Mr. Forstag’s candidacy is seen as a test for left-leaning politicians such as Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who have argued that the party should support working-class candidates running on more populist platforms.
Mr. Forstag defeated three other Democrats, including Ryan Busse, a former candidate for governor, and Matt Rains, a rancher and U.S. Army veteran, both of whom had run as moderates.
Mr. Forstag will face the Republican nominee, Aaron Flint, a local radio host backed by President Trump. They will be seeking to replace Representative Ryan Zinke, a Republican who is not running for re-election.
The Republican-leaning district has not been held by a Democrat this century, though it includes the liberal cities of Bozeman and Missoula. Mr. Trump won the district in 2024 by 12 percentage points.
Still, Mr. Forstag, 32, injected new energy into national efforts to change how the Democratic Party tries to compete in solidly Republican regions. He said during the campaign that instead of putting up middle-of-the-road candidates who have struggled to gain traction in past elections, Democrats should focus on issues that cut across party lines, such as affordable housing, health care and child care.
Mr. Forstag spent four years as a smoke jumper, a specialized type of firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service who parachutes in to fight wildfires. He said he was compelled to run for office last year when the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, fired thousands of Forest Service workers.
In April, Mr. Forstag spoke at a rally in Missoula with Mr. Sanders and Ms. Ocasio-Cortez that drew nearly 7,500 people.
Patricia Mazzei is the lead reporter for The Times in Miami, covering Florida and Puerto Rico.
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