Retired combat veteran and conservative broadcaster Aaron Flint won the Republican primary for Montana’s Western Congressional District Tuesday, defeating Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen and former state senator Al Olszewski to capture the Republican nomination for the seat being vacated by retiring Rep. Ryan Zinke.
Flint’s victory was decisive, powered by a broad endorsement coalition that included President Donald Trump, Zinke, Gov. Greg Gianforte, and both of Montana’s U.S. senators. Speaking from the Flathead Valley on election night, Flint called on Republicans, Democrats, and independents to unite heading into November.
Jacobsen, was unable to convert statewide name recognition into congressional primary support. She finished a distant second after largely self-financing a cash-strapped campaign and skipping the only scheduled Republican primary debate.
Olszewski, a Kalispell orthopedic surgeon running in his fifth primary for different offices, finished third.
On the Democratic side, smokejumper and union representative Sam Forstag declared victory Wednesday morning in the four-way Democratic primary. Ryan Busse, the gun control advocate and former MSNBC commentator, conceded with 33 percent of the vote.
The November matchup between Flint, 46, and Forstag, 31, will be Montana’s first non-baby boomer congressional race in 30 years. Forstag would be the first candidate aligned with the Bernie Sanders progressive movement to win a federal primary in Montana. The race is currently rated likely Republican by political forecasters.