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.
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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.
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