Grounded with Jon Tester and Maritsa Georgiou

Where There’s Smoke

Jul 29, 2026 · 55 min · 10 segments

We finally had a chance to sit down with Sam Forstag, smokejumper and Democratic candidate for MT-01. The timing was good, too— On Tuesday morning…

We finally had a chance to sit down with Sam Forstag, smokejumper and Democratic candidate for MT-01. The timing was good, too— On Tuesday morning, the DCCC added Forstag to its “Red to Blue” program, which basically means his race is considered one of the most competitive races in the country. That’s a big deal when you consider the last time a Democrat won a statewide race in Montana was in 2018 when Jon Tester won his third term in the U.S. Senate. The last time a Democrat won a U.S. House race was in 1994, when the late great Pat Williams won. Forstag has gained a lot of national attention already, including high-profile endorsements. End Citizens United added its name to that list in June when Forstag joined the organization’s Unrig Washington program. “Sam Forstag understands that this corruption is at the root of rising costs and unaffordable health care, and it’s why billionaires keep getting tax breaks while working people are left behind,” ECU President Tiffany Muller said at the time of endorsement. “He refuses to take a dime of corporate PAC money to prove to voters that he’s only accountable to them. We are proud to endorse Sam and look forward to helping him win in November.” We also discuss Forstag’s priorities in Congress, what he’s doing to gain bipartisan support (in a state that requires it), and a little bit about leather boots. Plus, what it’s like to be in this historic moment in politics.

We finally had a chance to sit down with Sam Forstag, smokejumper and Democratic candidate for MT-01. The timing was good, too— On Tuesday morning…