This smokejumper says the US has lost its empathy. That’s why he’s running for Congress
Summary
Sam Forstag, a firefighter known as a smokejumper, is running for Congress in Montana’s first district as a Democrat. He believes economic struggles make people less able to help each other and wants to address the challenges faced by working-class Americans.Key Facts
- Sam Forstag grew up in a single-parent household in North Portland and Montana, where his mother worked overnight nursing shifts.
- In 2013, while driving through a snowstorm, he chose not to stop to help a car that slid off the road because he was rushing to work multiple jobs.
- Forstag’s campaign focuses on how economic pressures reduce people’s time and ability to show empathy and care for others.
- He is a smokejumper who parachutes into wildfires to help fight dangerous fires and has worked this physically demanding job for eight fire seasons.
- Forstag wants to flip Montana’s first congressional district, which has been mostly Republican.
- He sees current political divisions and anti-immigrant rhetoric as results of long-term economic struggles faced by working-class people.
- Forstag’s personal experience working multiple jobs and firefighting shaped his views on community and public service.
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