One more white male Democrat in a purple state who could potentially help the Democrats flip the Senate has decided instead to run for president. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock will officially announced his candidacy for the 2020 nomination Tuesday in Helena.
In a pre-announcement video released Tuesday morning, Bullock highlights Montana's robber baron history. "With their money, they bought politicians, attacked unions, exploited workers, and left us with a toxic reminder of what happens when our democracy is put up for sale," Mr. Bullock said of Montana’s powerful copper magnates, as he stood over a polluted old mine in Butte. "Today we see evidence of a corrupt system all across America."
He’s poised to combat that, he says, pointing to his stint as attorney general fighting Citizen's United and dark money in politics. "We need to beat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that lets campaign money drown out the people's voice so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone," he says in the video. "This is the fight of our time. It's been the fight of my career," he said.
Bullock has been elected statewide three times in Montana, first as attorney general and then twice as governor, including in 2016 when Trump carried the state by more than 20 points. He oversaw the state's Medicaid expansion, has established strong net neutrality rules for the state, and has staunchly protected public lands. The Senate seat held by Republican Steve Daines is also up in 2020, a race Bullock decided to forgo.