by Parker H. Jimison
On Tuesday, May 14th, 2019, Governor Steve Bullock made history in becoming the first Montanan to officially declare their candidacy for President of the United States under a major party. Bullock joins a crowded field as he is the 22nd Democrat to announce their candidacy and only one candidate has dropped out of the race thus far. To try and stand out from the rest, Bullock is touting his ability to work alongside Republicans and achieve results, like the recent expansion of Medicaid, as well as his long ongoing battle against dark money political contributions.
Bullock Coming into the race at this late stage means that Bullock has a bit of catch up work to do if he has any hope of making it into the top tier of candidates, although he comes into this race as the only Democratic candidate to have won reelection in a state carried by Trump in 2016. This is something Bullock wants to highlight in his campaign, since he has been able to win as a Democrat in a red state as Attorney General and twice as Governor in a time where that is rare. On this, Bullock stated, “that means that a sizeable group of people who voted for me also pulled the lever for Trump. Those results may sound unusual in our current age of division and discord. But they reveal a fundamental truth about both elections and governing: When we show up in every community; when we listen more than we talk; when we put progress ahead of partisanship, we can bridge the differences that have divided our country for far too long.”
This broad appeal to moderates of both parties as well as independents is what Bullock thinks will help propel him toward the White House, though many Democrats would rather see him run for the Senate against Steve Daines than try for a long shot bid at the presidency. Bullock’s next goal is to raise his profile on the national level in order to both poll high enough and get enough donations to qualify for the Democratic Primary debates where he could square off against the current frontrunners and try to make his mark on the election.
