2026 House race
Montana 1st District
Toss Up Cook Political Report, as of October 16, 2026
Campaigns through 2026-09-30Outside money through 2026-10-18Source: FEC
outside money is 1.6×
what the campaigns raised
The short version
- Sam Forstag has raised $3.7M to Aaron Flint's $2.6M (1.4x), through September 30, 2026.
- Outside groups have reported $9.9M in general election spending: $4.0M helping the Democrat and $5.9M helping the Republican.
- Largest outside spender: No Going Back PAC Inc., $3.4M opposing Sam Forstag.
Campaign money
Sam Forstag
- Raised
- $3.7M
- Spent
- $2.8M
- Cash on hand
- $856K
- From PACs
- $375K
- From individuals
- $3.0M
- Self funding
- $1K
- Outside money for (general)
- $4.0M
Campaign totals through September 30, 2026.
Aaron Flint
- Raised
- $2.6M
- Spent
- $1.6M
- Cash on hand
- $1.0M
- From PACs
- $579K
- From individuals
- $1.7M
- Self funding
- $0
- Outside money for (general)
- $5.9M
Campaign totals through September 30, 2026.
Outside spending
Not included above: $1.5M in outside spending that filers reported for the primary, a runoff, or no specific election, involving these two nominees.
Biggest outside spenders, general election
| Spender | Position | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| No Going Back PAC Inc. | Oppose Sam Forstag | $3.4M |
| Montana Voters PAC | Oppose Aaron Flint | $1.1M |
| Thank You for Your Attention to This Matter PAC | Support Aaron Flint | $910K |
| LCV Victory Fund | Oppose Aaron Flint | $688K |
| HMP | Oppose Aaron Flint | $667K |
| Leadership in Action | Support Aaron Flint | $458K |
| Guardrails Alliance | Oppose Aaron Flint | $412K |
| Montana Voters PAC | Support Sam Forstag | $396K |
| Americans for Prosperity Action, Inc. (AFP Action) dba CVA Action and dba Libre Action | Support Aaron Flint | $295K |
| Americans for Prosperity Action, Inc. (AFP Action) dba CVA Action and dba Libre Action | Oppose Sam Forstag | $248K |
| Civic Renewal Fund Inc. | Support Aaron Flint | $191K |
| No Going Back PAC Inc. | Support Aaron Flint | $181K |
| Progressive Turnout Project | Support Sam Forstag | $127K |
| Montana Rural Voters (Worc) | Support Sam Forstag | $115K |
| Montanans for Public Lands | Support Sam Forstag | $103K |
Where the outside money came from
For the biggest spenders, the money is followed upstream while a single donor supplied at least half of it. From FEC receipts.
- Montana Voters PAC ← $500K from Reid G Hoffman (59% of its reported receipts)
- LCV Victory Fund ← $18.0M from League of Conservation Voters, Inc. (58% of its reported receipts) No donor disclosure
These totals come from the 24 and 48 hour notices outside groups must file before ads run. They are the disclosed floor. Spending by groups that do not file independent expenditure notices, such as issue ads paid for by 501(c)(4) groups, does not appear here.
Top PAC donors to each campaign
D Sam Forstag
Itemized PAC contributions processed by the FEC through June 30, 2026. 42 PACs in total.
R Aaron Flint
Itemized PAC contributions processed by the FEC through June 30, 2026. 103 PACs in total.
Primary Sources
- FEC candidate page, Sam Forstag: fec.gov/data/candidate/H6MT01137
- FEC committee filings, Sam Forstag principal campaign committee: C00932822
- FEC candidate page, Aaron Flint: fec.gov/data/candidate/H6MT01152
- FEC committee filings, Aaron Flint principal campaign committee: C00941575
- FEC independent expenditures, 2026 cycle: fec.gov independent expenditures
- Race rating: Cook Political Report, October 16, 2026
- Nominees: www.cbsnews.com