Democrats love Steve Bullock. They just want him to run for the Senate instead.


Democrats really don't want Montana Governor Steve Bullock (D) to run for president, Politico reports. But it's not because they don't like the guy.
On the contrary, Bullock, who announced his 2020 bid on Tuesday, is largely respected nationwide and seemingly has some bipartisan appeal — he is, after all, a popular Democratic governor of a patently red state. But his path toward the presidency in an overly crowded Democratic field is still regarded as a major long shot. Instead, Democrats want him to shift his talents toward the Senate.
They think he can challenge Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and help flip the Senate. "This is the one that could change the game," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said, regarding a hypothetical Senate race between Bullock and Daines.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But Bullock has long dismissed calls from the likes of prominent Democrats such as Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to enter the legislative conversation, reportedly fancying himself an executive. Simply put, he doesn't want to do it. That's not an uncommon problem facing the Democrats right now, either. Similar efforts to convince Stacey Abrams, John Hickenlooper, and Beto O'Rourke to challenge for Senate seats in Georgia, Colorado, and Texas, respectively have also failed, with the latter two joining Bullock in launching presidential bids, and Abrams considering one, as well.
"I get it, Senate recruitment is hard these days," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told Politico. "But I think by winning back the Senate we can start to make it work again."
The party will reportedly wait and see if Bullock's campaign fizzles out and try, once again, to get him to join the ranks on Capitol Hill. Read more at Politico.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
How to create a healthy 'germier' home
Under The Radar Exposure to a broad range of microbes can enhance our immune system, especially during childhood
-
George Floyd: Did Black Lives Matter fail?
Feature The momentum for change fades as the Black Lives Matter Plaza is scrubbed clean
-
National debt: Why Congress no longer cares
Feature Rising interest rates, tariffs and Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill could sent the national debt soaring
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media