A look at the candidates running for Montana’s western U.S. House seat

Two-term Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke made political waves when he announced he would not run for re-election — just days before the state’s filing deadline.

In what was expected to be a referendum on a popular, longtime lawmaker from the Flathead Valley, the race for Montana’s western district has turned into an open battle between Republicans seeking to keep the state’s all-red delegation intact, and national Democrats looking at a possible opportunity to pick up a seat to help flip the U.S. House.

The Cook Political Report gives the GOP an edge in the district, MT-01, with a “likely Republican” rating.

THE DEMOCRATS

Four Democrats are facing off in the primary, and they have met multiple times on debate stages and in forums around the district in an attempt to differentiate themselves for voters.

Ryan Busse

Key Endorsements: Montana Conservation Voters, Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, State House minority leader Rep. Katie Sullivan, four additional sitting legislators 

Busse is a former firearms company executive making his second run as a politician after challenging Gov. Greg Gianforte in 2024, a race he lost by around 20 points. But he earned 43% of the vote in the western district.

Similar to his gubernatorial campaign, Busse said affordability and protecting Montana’s public lands are two areas he would focus on if elected, and he has picked up endorsements from several national conservation organizations and two sitting U.S. senators. He styles himself a public lands warrior and fought for the cancellation of oil and gas leases in the Badger-Two Medicine area near Glacier Park.

Russ Cleveland

Key Endorsements: Indivisible Missoula, Union Of American Physicians & Dentists

Cleveland grew up in the Bitterroot, served in the U.S. Navy, has worked in corporate finance and founded a childcare startup in Colorado. His family now lives outside St. Regis.

One of Cleveland’s main focuses is the U.S. healthcare system, which he said is “impossible to navigate. His focus stems from the loss of his 12-year-old daughter from cancer and subsequent struggles fighting insurance companies and dealing with hundreds of thousands of dollars in care costs, which can be prohibitive for many Montanans.

He has also advocated for limitations on the country’s “military industrial complex,” including capping the money and troops that can be committed to wars without Congressional authority.

He has eschewed corporate money, taking only individual donations in his campaign, and did not seek out endorsements from sitting politicians.

Sam Forstag

Key Endorsements: Montana AFL-CIO, Montana Federation of Public Employees, Montana Alliance for Retired Americans, Montana State Building & Construction Trades Council, Montana State Conference of Electrical Workers, Missoula and Butte Firefighters Union, Bernie Sanders, Common Defense Civic Engagement and 17 sitting state legislators   

A Missoula smokejumper and union leader, Forstag has emphasized the need to focus on affordability for working Montanans — including increasing access to housing, childcare, healthcare and retirement.

He has also earned support from national progressive groups and individuals, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who held a rally for Forstag in Missoula on Thursday, that drew more than 800 people.

Matt Rains

Key Endorsements: None

Rains has roots that run “damn deep” in the state with a family ranch near Simms that stretches back to the 1860s. He went to West Point and served in the Army as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in Iraq. He has spent the last years working with the Montana Farmers Union and positioned himself as someone who understands rural communities in the state.

Rains has said he supports the Second Amendment and law enforcement, and broke with his primary opponents by saying that he would accept money from corporations and political action committees in order to win the race, while agreeing that ultimately the influence of money in politics should be weakened.

THE REPUBLICANS

Following Zinke bowing out of the race, three well-known Republican figures entered, with Zinke immediately offering his support for Aaron Flint as his successor. Flint and Al Olszewski have debated each other, while Christi Jacobsen, secretary of state, has been largely absent from the campaign scene.

Ray Curtis

Key Endorsements: None

Curtis is a political newcomer and longshot candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress, whose ideals are rooted in his decades teaching history and government to high school and college students and the principles enshrined in the Constitution.

Curtis styles himself an “Eisenhower Republican,” who would like to see Congress rein in the power wielded by the executive branch, spending and the deficit, and the nation’s military-industrial complex.

Aaron Flint

Key Endorsements: President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep Ryan Zinke, U.S. Sens. Tim Sheehy and Steve Daines, Gov. Greg Gianforte, Attorney General Austin Knudsen, State Auditor James Brown, National Republican Congressional Committee

Flint is a well-known conservative voice in Montana — literally — as the longtime host of a talk radio show based in Billings. With the endorsements he stacked up quickly after announcing his race, Flint is a clear MAGA-aligned candidate, in step with the current administration’s policies.

In debates, Flint has pushed support for resource extraction and nonrenewable energy, opposition to green energy policies from previous administrations, and an emphasis on promoting trade jobs as key policy points.

Christi Jacobsen

Key Endorsements: Value in Electing Women PAC, State Sen. Mike Cuffe, Miss Montana USA, Ravalli County Commissioner Dan Huls

Jacobsen is serving her second term as Montana’s Secretary of State, and in both 2020 and 2024 she earned more votes than any candidate on the ballot — including President Trump. As the only candidate currently holding an elected office, Jacobsen says she has a record of delivering for Montanans that voters should trust.

As Secretary of State, she says she cut red tape for businesses, reduced costs in her office by cutting staff, and worked to protect Montana’s elections, including flagging 23 non-citizens on Montana’s voter rolls.

Al Olszewski

Key Endorsements: Flathead County Republican Central Committee, Lake County Republican Central Committee, Missoula County Republican Central Committee, Montanans for Limited Government

Olszewski is a surgeon, former state legislator and chairman of the Flathead County Republican Central Committee. He previously ran against Zinke in the 2022 primary for the House seat, coming within a few thousand votes of winning.

He has emphasized the grassroots nature of his campaign, but helped self-fund much of his campaign. He has said he can bring “proven conservative leadership” to the job. In debates, he’s said he supports resource extraction but would balance it with stewarding the environment, and says he supports the administration but could see Congress exerting some checks on power.