The Case Against Aaron Flint

Unlike Flint, Sam will take on a corrupt political system that prioritizes billionaires and political insiders over working Montanans. In a newly-open seat where Republicans have been left with a lesser-known candidate and a political environment that has already shifted this race in Democrats’ direction, Sam is heading into the general election with strong momentum. He is ready to go to Washington to fight to put more money in Montanans’ pockets, protect Montana’s public lands, and push back against corruption.

Flint Is All In On Jacking Up Costs and Ripping Health Care Away From Montanans

As working Montanans struggle to keep up with rising costs and a sinking economy, Aaron Flint has endorsed price-hiking policies that are making it harder for families to get by. Between wanting to gut health care to pay for tax cuts for billionaires, to defending the war in Iran that has sent gas and energy prices skyrocketing, Western Montanans just can’t afford Flint.

Attacking and undermining access to affordable health care is a key part of Flint’s agenda. Disturbingly out of touch, Flint dismissed valid concerns that Americans could die because of the Big, Ugly Bill – going so far to call that fact a “hoax.” In reality, at least three rural hospitals in Montana’s First Congressional District – Logan Health Rural Health, Cutbank; Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, Polson; and Big Sky Medical Center – are at risk of closing. On top of hospital closures, thousands have already lost their health insurance, while others have seen their premiums skyrocket. To add insult to injury, Flint’s Big, Ugly Bill would force $500 billion in cuts to Medicare, and it’s already ripping food off families’ tables in a district where 16,000 households depend on critical food and nutrition assistance. As Flint downplays the real consequences of gutting health care and food aid to pay for tax cuts for billionaires, Montanans are terrified of having to choose between putting food on the table and accessing the medical care they need.

Flint’s planned assault on affordable health care goes beyond the Big, Ugly Bill and its cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and food assistance programs. Flint has spent years railing against the lifesaving Affordable Care Act (ACA) – calling it “abhorrent” and explicitly stating that cutting the ACA would be “at the top of [his] list” if elected to Congress. If Flint got his way and the ACA were repealed, health insurance companies could once again set lifetime coverage limits, charge unlimited out-of-pocket costs for in-network care, and deny coverage to the roughly 152,000 Montanans under age 65 with pre-existing conditions. Flint has also made clear he opposes tax credits that lower premium costs for many of the 44,000 Montanans in the First District who rely on the ACA for their health care.

As if jacking up health care costs and taking food out of hungry Montanans’ mouths isn’t bad enough, Flint’s price-hiking agenda also includes co-signing reckless tariffs and supporting a war of choice in Iran, both of which are raising costs for Western Montanans. Families have paid, on average, an extra $1,200 in 2025 due to tariffs and are on track to pay another $2,500 in tariff costs in 2026. Montana small businesses have paid roughly $42 million over the past year. Small business owners across the district are sounding the alarm that tariffs are forcing them to jack up prices, with one Missoula business owner saying explicitly that tariffs are causing “increased prices at the cash register for all consumers.” Montana home builders are also calling out Flint-backed tariffs for hiking up the costs of materials and worsening Montana’s housing crisis.

While Flint champions extreme policies that are making life more expensive for Montanans, Sam is committed to lowering costs for families. Sam has made affordable health care a cornerstone of his campaign – a priority that is resonating with Montanans who are being squeezed by rising costs – and he’s committed to fighting against reckless tariffs that are jacking up prices.

Flint Is A Threat to Montana’s Public Lands

If there’s one thing Montanans across the political spectrum can agree on, it’s that public lands should remain in public hands. So it’s no wonder why Flint, now running for office, is trying to lie to voters by falsely painting himself as a champion for public lands. Unfortunately for Flint, there’s a long papertrail that makes clear he would be a disaster for Montana’s public lands. Flint spent years calling for federal land transfers, “a move that would forever strip them from the broader public’s hands and could ultimately lead to privatization.” Flint’s preferred policy could also cost Montana taxpayers $8 billion, bankrupt several counties, and “undermine generations of work of hunters, anglers, landowners, and conservationists.”

Flint’s disdain for public lands is made even clearer by his unabashed support for ending the roadless rule, long-standing federal protections for more than 6 million acres of Montana’s public forests. Flint’s dangerous agenda puts millions of acres in the First District at higher risk for wildfires, fewer bull trout, and a higher maintenance bill that falls on taxpayers – including land in Flathead National Forest, Gallatin National Forest, and Kootenai National Forest.

Western Montanans deserve a leader who understands how important public lands and forests are to their lives and livelihoods. Sam has seen firsthand the consequences of not protecting Montana’s public lands, and he’s put his life on the line to defend them. He’s the leader Montanans need in Congress to fight for public lands and roadless areas.

Montana’s Farmers and Ranchers Can’t Afford Flint

Flint’s blind loyalty to political insiders comes at the direct expense of Montana farmers and ranchers, who are the backbone of the state’s economy. It’s no secret that Flint-backed tariffs are devastating farms, ranches, and rural communities across the Big Sky state. On top of “uncertainty… disrupting[ing] business like never before,” Flint-backed tariffs are jacking up the cost of fertilizer and machinery while closing off key markets to Montana exports – conditions that screw over farmers and ranchers in Montana who “are worried about being whipsawed in a trade war” supported by Flint. With fertilizer and diesel costs now spiking even more due to a Flint-backed war of choice in Iran, Montana farmers and ranchers are struggling to make ends meet.

When he’s not cheerleading price-spiking tariffs and the war in Iran, Flint is all for cutting jobs and cancelling grants that Montana’s farming and ranching communities depend on. To Flint’s delight, extremists took a chainsaw to thousands of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) jobs, resulting in a one-person staffed Farm Services Administration (FSA) office in Montana – a devastating blow to Montana farmers who depend on the FSA to provide “on-the-ground support for projects.” To make matters worse, these job cuts came at the same time extremists in D.C. – with Flint’s support – froze or cancelled critical grants to Montana farmers and ranchers, “compounding” the damage.

Flint’s willingness to sell out Montana farmers and ranchers was on full display when he repeatedly praised the architect of the White House’s plan to quadruple Argentinian beef exports at the expense of American ranchers. While groups like the Montana Cattlemen’s Association and the Montana Stockgrowers Association were sounding the alarm, Flint was fawning over the top official who decided to undermine the highest ranking commodity in Montana.

While Flint proves his loyalty to political insiders over Montana farmers and ranchers, Sam knows how crucial it is to support the state’s agricultural economy. He will always put Montana’s farmers and ranchers first.

A Career Political Operative Handpicked By Political Insiders, Flint Is Loyal To The Swamp – Not To Montana

Flint represents everything Western Montanans hate about our political system. The ultimate political insider who spent nearly two decades as a political operative, Flint has already proven he’s ready to make backroom deals – even if that means silencing Montanans’ voices. Flint launched his run for Congress with a flashy, professionally made video just 49 minutes after Ryan Zinke announced he was not seeking re-election – just 2 days before the candidate filing deadline. Montanans across the political spectrum called Flint and others out for this “deceptive maneuver” that sought to anoint Flint before Western Montanans even had a say.

Western Montanans want an independent voice like Sam Forstag – not someone who’s willing to make shady backroom deals that serve himself but undermine Montanans. Sam is running on ending corruption in Washington, including by overturning Citizens United to get corporate money out of politics and by banning former Congressmembers from becoming lobbyists after they’ve left office. Sam doesn’t work for a political party; he works for Montanans.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Public Domain: Montana GOP Candidate Has History Of Calling For Federal Land Transfers [Public Domain, 4/30/26]

“Flint enters his race with a history of voicing support for transferring federal lands to state control — a move that would forever strip them from the broader public’s hands and could ultimately lead to privatization.”

Montana Standard: Letter: Aaron Flint not qualified for Congress [Montana Standard, 3/24/26]

Daily Montanan: Changes to Medicaid will impact thousands of Montanans as hospitals prepare for uncompensated care [Daily Montanan, 8/11/25]

“For hospitals and healthcare centers that often have margins of less than 2%, a sudden increase in uncompensated care could mean the difference between financial survival and closure. That concern is particularly pronounced in rural areas like Montana, which has a number of small hospitals, called “Critical Access Hospitals,” which have survived the recent tumultuous COVID-era because of reimbursements.”

NBC Montana: ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ projected to slash Montana Medicaid [NBC Montana, 7/2/25]

“The bill is expected to increase the federal deficit by trillions, while slashing nearly one-third of Montana’s Medicaid funding by fiscal year 2034… Manatt projects the reconciliation bill will decrease Montana Medicaid spending by $5.7 billion in 10 years. Montana hospitals would see $2.5 billion of those cuts. The analysis predicts 31,000 Montanans will lose their Medicaid coverage.”

Daily Montanan: Reports: Medicaid cuts in ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ will leave Montana residents without insurance [Daily Montanan, 6/20/25]

“No state stands to lose more in Medicaid cuts being discussed in the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ than Montana, according to several new reports. That translates to nearly 40,000 people losing health insurance, billions taken out of the state’s economy, and a new mountain of paperwork for state workers.”

Stars and Stripes: Marc Racicot: The unseen cost: How the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ threatens America’s veterans [Stars and Stripes, 8/24/25]

“Marc Racicot is a former U.S. Army JAG Corps officer, two-term governor of Montana, and former chairman of the Republican National Committee.”

KPAX: Montana Food Bank Network shares concerns over potential SNAP benefit changes [KPAX, 6/17/25]

Daily Montanan: Big Beautiful Bill Act to decrease income tax revenue for Montana [Daily Montanan, 7/12/25]

The Guardian: Smokejumper and union leader aims to win in Montana by focusing on workers [The Guardian, 2/20/26]

CBS News: Democrats are talking about a midterm blue wave. A Montana smokejumper could help make it a reality. [CBS News, 1/5/26]

PATH TO VICTORY
Montana’s First Congressional District is squarely in play this election cycle. As voters sour on D.C. Republicans and their price-hiking agenda, Democrats are seeing momentum in traditionally red territory across the country, overperforming in congressional special elections by 17 points, and dominating on the generic ballot.

A proven roadmap to Democratic victory already exists in MT-01. Former Senator Jon Tester won the district in 2024, while former state legislator Kathleen Williams would have won the district under its current lines in 2018 with 51.6% of the two-way vote. It’s clear Western Montanans are hungry for independent leaders who put country before party – and that’s Sam.

Sam has already proven he can build the type of broad coalition it takes to win. Running on a message of championing the working class, Sam earned the endorsements of leaders in the Democratic Party and local Republicans. They all know that he is committed to fighting for real change, prioritizing the needs of his fellow union members, and bringing a much needed fresh perspective to Congress.

Now an open seat, MT-01 has never been more within reach. Independent race rater Inside Elections shifted the district towards Democrats after the Republican incumbent chose not to seek re-election earlier this year, a telltale sign that the current congressman saw the writing on the wall that Democrats are primed to flip this seat.

A district that’s been hit particularly hard by expensive tariffs, rural health care cuts, and high diesel and gas prices, MT-01 is a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats – especially with a top tier candidate like Sam Forstag.