AOC and Labor Leaders Rally Behind Democrat Sam Forstag in Missoula Congressional Race
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Association of Flight Attendants-CWA President Sara Nelson will headline a campaign rally Friday for Sam Forstag, a former union lobbyist and LGBTQ activist running as a Democrat for Montana’s 1st Congressional District, bringing national progressive firepower to a race in a state where Democrats have struggled in recent federal elections.
The event, scheduled for 5 p.m. at The Wilma in Missoula, will also feature remarks from Montana labor leaders as Forstag’s campaign aims to build momentum around a message centered on workers’ rights and economic opportunity. The rally represents a significant show of outside support for a challenger in a conservative-leaning state.
Forstag has assembled an unusual coalition of endorsements that spans both ideological camps and generational lines. Beyond Ocasio-Cortez and Nelson, he has secured backing from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent and frequent Democratic presidential candidate. More than 30 current and former Montana elected officials from both political parties have also endorsed the campaign, an alignment that campaign organizers said reflects a focus on bringing what they describe as a stronger working-class voice to Congress.
The rally underscores the role organized labor is playing in the 2026 midterm cycle, with unions and labor-aligned politicians investing in races they view as opportunities to elect representatives sympathetic to worker organizing and collective bargaining. Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most visible figures in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, has become a frequent campaign surrogate for candidates aligned with that ideological wing.
Montana’s 1st Congressional District encompasses much of western Montana, including Missoula, and leans Democratic in some areas while trending Republican statewide in recent federal elections. Forstag’s background in union advocacy and his support from both progressive national figures and a broad swathe of local politicians suggests his campaign is attempting to position him as a bridge between labor interests and mainstream Democratic politics in a state where that coalition has fractured in recent years.
By: Montana Newsroom staff
