Montana's 1st Congressional District

Montana's 1st Congressional District is represented by Ryan Zinke (Republican), who has held the seat since 2023. Zinke has an overall VoteSee report card grade of D, voted in 97% of roll-call votes on bills this Congress, and votes with the Republican majority 93% of the time. The district includes Missoula, Bozeman, and Butte-Silver Bow. It takes in all or part of 16 counties; the most populous parts are in Gallatin County and Missoula County. About 565,000 people live in the district, and the median household income is $73,598.

Current Representative

Ryan Zinke (Republican) has represented Montana's 1st Congressional District since 2023.

VoteSee report card grade: D
Attendance in the 119th Congress: 97% of roll-call votes on bills
Votes with the Republican majority: 93%

See Ryan Zinke's full voting record and issue positions →

2026 Election

U.S. House: Montana 1st District

Winner: Sam Forstag.

This is an open seat: Ryan Zinke is not running for re-election. 3 candidates were on the Nov 3, 2026 ballot.

Sam Forstag (Democratic): raised $4.3M, $726K cash on hand
Aaron Flint (Republican): raised $2.9M, $408K cash on hand
Nick Sheedy (Libertarian)

Polls

Poll average: Sam Forstag 48.0%, Aaron Flint 43.5%. Simple average of 4 polls that ended Oct 10, 2026 – Nov 9, 2026, each pollster's latest (likely voters when it reports both).

Pollster	Dates	Sample	Forstag	Flint
Emerson College	Oct 31, 2026 – Nov 1, 2026	311 LV	49%	49%
RedBox Research (D)	Oct 20, 2026 – Oct 23, 2026	754 LV	46%	48%
Montana State University Billings	Oct 5, 2026 – Oct 21, 2026		49%	32%
Public Policy Polling (D)	Oct 12, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026	541 LV	48%	45%
American Pulse	Sep 19, 2026 – Sep 24, 2026	314 LV	45%	46%
Impact Research (D)	Sep 20, 2026 – Sep 23, 2026	500 LV	47%	44%
Public Policy Polling (D)	Sep 9, 2026 – Sep 10, 2026	536 RV	45%	43%
Rutgers University Eagleton Institute of Politics	Aug 27, 2026 – Sep 7, 2026	375 RV	41%	42%
Impact Research (D)	Jun 22, 2026 – Jun 25, 2026	500 LV	44%	44%
Upswing Research (D)	Apr 30, 2026 – May 5, 2026	401 LV	43%	48%

Polls compiled from Wikipedia; see each pollster for full results.

See the full 2026 race →

District Demographics

Population: 564,861
Median household income: $73,598
Median age: 40
Median home value: $466,200
Bachelor's degree or higher: 38.8%

Source: American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, 119th Congress boundaries.

How Zinke Voted Recently

Yea on Retire through Ownership Act (Sep 16, 2026) — Passed
Yea on Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (Sep 16, 2026) — Passed
Yea on Ratepayer Protection Act (Sep 16, 2026) — Passed
Yea on Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to the "California State Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; Commercial Harbor Craft Regulations; Notice of Decision". (Sep 16, 2026) — Passed
Yea on Preventing Rip-offs and Obtaining Oversight of Funds Act (Sep 16, 2026) — Passed

Breaks with the Republican majority

Aye on National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 (Jul 21, 2026) — Agreed to
No on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027 (Jul 15, 2026) — Failed
Nay on Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 (Jul 14, 2026) — Passed

Who Held This Seat Before

Members of Congress who previously represented Montana's 1st Congressional District. District lines are redrawn after each census, so earlier members may have represented a different area under this number.

John Williams — Democrat (1979–1997)
Max Baucus — Democrat (1975–1978)
Dick Shoup — Republican (1971–1975)
Arnold Olsen — Democrat (1961–1971)
Lee Metcalf — Democrat (1953–1961)
Mike Mansfield — Democrat (1943–1953)
Jeannette Rankin — Republican (1941–1943)
Jacob Thorkelson — Republican (1939–1941)
Jerry O’Connell — Democrat (1937–1939)
Joseph Monaghan — Democrat (1933–1937)
John Evans — Democrat (1923–1933)
Washington McCormick — Republican (1921–1923)

Where the District Is

Montana's 1st Congressional District covers 40,168 square miles of land. Boundaries are for the current (119th) Congress.

Counties

Gallatin County: 22% of residents
Missoula County: 22% of residents
Flathead County: 19% of residents
Ravalli County: 8% of residents
Silver Bow County: 7% of residents
Lake County: 6% of residents
Lincoln County: 4% of residents
Glacier County: 3% of residents
Sanders County: 2% of residents
Deer Lodge County: 2% of residents
Beaverhead County: 2% of residents
Madison County: 2% of residents
Powell County: 1% of residents
Mineral County: under 1% of residents
Granite County: under 1% of residents
Pondera County (part): under 1% of residents

Largest communities

Missoula
Bozeman
Butte-Silver Bow
Kalispell
Belgrade
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County
Evergreen
Whitefish