Sam Forstag and Aaron Flint are competing for Montana’s First Congressional District seat. Forstag, a Democrat, hopes to flip this conservative stronghold against Trump-endorsed Republican Flint. The race tests if progressive candidates can win in G.O.P. areas. Most voters used mail-in ballots, and officials expect to count votes after Election Day.
This map compares the results with the margins in the 2024 presidential election. Only areas that have reported almost all of their votes are shown.
Sam Forstag, a Democrat backed by progressives like Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is bidding to replace the retiring Republican incumbent and flip a seat long held by conservatives. Mr. Forstag's candidacy against Aaron Flint, a Trump-endorsed Republican, is a test for a theory that left-leaning politicians running in G.O.P. strongholds can do better in general elections than moderates.
Most voters cast ballots by mail, which must be received by Election Day. In recent elections, it has taken a day or two to count 95 percent of the votes.