So Montana Governor, Steve Bullock, might enter the Presidential race?

[Honeycombe8]

Just saw a news story on tv about it. He hasn't announced, and may not do it. But he might. A governor. This is getting interesting.

https://www.newsweek.com/2019/01/18/governor-steve-bullock-stumping-campaign-finance-reform-1285799.html

I know nothing about him. Montana. Protection of land, probably. Acknowledgement of climate change? Interesting. I wonder if he's a billionaire.

[Cha]

1. It will be interesting to see

what MontanaMama says about this.

[Honeycombe8]

3. Yes. Let's see what MontanaMama has to say. She may know a thing or two. nt

[MontanaMama]

29. Hi All. The scuttle from my neck of the woods

is that Gov Bullock May run for Steve Daines’ Senate seat. Claire McCaskill alluded to this last night after the excruciating SOTU speech. I’m in western MT and DUer 2naSalit is from the eastern part of the state and may have different info from mine. Bullock is a keeper whatever he decides to do...he’s a consensus builder and definite proponent of women’s rights and protector of public land. I’m sorry he won’t be our governor much longer. Keep an eye on him!

[Cha]

33. Thanks, MontanaMama!

I wanted to see what he looked like..



https://governor.mt.gov/

https://twitter.com/GovernorBullock?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

[MontanaMama]

38. He's a good guy, Cha.

No baggage to speak of and he is well liked on both sides of the aisle...that makes him a moderate, I guess, but he is quite progressive and unrelenting on women’s rights. Democrats in MT have to walk a fine line and he has done it masterfully.

[elleng]

2. American politician and lawyer serving as the 24th and current Governor of Montana since 2013.

A member of the Democratic Party, he has been Chairman of the National Governors Association since 2018, a bipartisan organization created to develop policy to improve state governments.[2][3]

Born in Missoula, Montana, Bullock is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College and Columbia Law School. Bullock began his career working as the legal counsel to the Secretary of State of Montana before becoming the Executive Assistant Attorney General and acting Chief Deputy Attorney General of Montana. Bullock then entered private practice as an attorney for Steptoe & Johnson. He was also an adjunct professor at the George Washington University Law School before opening his own private law firm upon returning to Montana. In 2008, Bullock was elected Attorney General of Montana, where he served one term from 2009-13.

After incumbent Governor Brian Schweitzer was term-limited, Bullock declared his candidacy for the Governorship on September 7, 2011. He won with 87% of the vote in the Democratic primary election, and defeated the Republican nominee, former U.S. Representative Rick Hill, in the general election, with 48% of the vote.

In 2016, Bullock won re-election with 50.2% of the vote, defeating Republican nominee Greg Gianforte.[4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bullock_(American_politician)

[Honeycombe8]

4. I read about him. He's very qualified. I'm impressed.

But in the current environment, I don't know if a moderate Democrat (if that's what he is) has a chance, much less a white male? I don't know.

Also, he may not acknowledge climate change, since he has to support coal mining in Montana. That would be a deal breaker for me, unfortunately, as well as for many Democrats. But his position isn't clear.

I also haven't seen his personality to know if he can go toe to toe with a lying Russian puppet bully.

Very interesting.

[elleng]

5. May HAVE to have a moderate Democrat, even a white male,

and Dems may have to accept it.

[madinmaryland]

10. I can't disagree with you.

Biden or O’Malley?

[elleng]

12. HI, mad!!!

Biden, at the moment (but don't tell anyone I said it, 'cause my choices usually don't make it!!!)

[Honeycombe8]

13. Biden's too old, really. No...it's not ageism!

His age is fine for one term. But in 2024, he'll be, what, 86? That really is too old to know he can reliably run and serve. When you hit your 80s, the mind and body start to fail increasingly, even if you were a healthy person before.

We could possibly get stuck without an incumbent in 2024, and that's not good.

[elleng]

15. Given your premise, a strong Veep would help tremendously,

and there's a HUGE available field.

[MontanaMama]

39. Thanks for the wiki link elleng.

I didn’t know Bullock was an adjunct prof at George Washington University! I learned something today.

[elleng]

40. You're welcome, M'Mama.

Folks around here waiting to hear from you!

Didja know: entered private practice as an attorney for Steptoe & Johnson? FANCY!

and Columbia Law School? Smart!

[MontanaMama]

41. Two things I didn't know about

our beloved governor! It’s funny...I take it for granted that he is the adult in the room here in Big Sky Country. I shouldn’t do that...I did it with Pres Obama. We can’t get comfortable when we have it good. The repukes that have thrown their hat in the ring to replace Gov Bullock are horrendous. Time to get to work.

[Grasswire2]

6. not a billionaire....he's a good, solid guy.

He's a high school friend of a family member of mine.

Maybe too good to enter the perils of a race, like my Senator Jeff Merkley. Authentic, solid Dems.

[Honeycombe8]

14. Wiki doesn't mention climate change.

Do you know if he acknowledges it? There's coal mining in Montana.

[MontanaFarmer]

17. He definitely acknowledges it

He has not been a forceful advocate for a sea change in energy policy like jay inslee, but he's nowhere close to a climate denier.

[Honeycombe8]

21. That's good to know. That's a critical issue. nt

[MontanaMama]

35. Yes yes yes.

He’s a solid guy. No skeletons in the closet that we know of...at least they haven’t come to light to date. Solid Dem and young enough to have a future full of contributions to the cause.

[MontanaFarmer]

7. Definitely not a billionaire

And only "moderate" in the western sense. He has taken a more mainstream dem position on guns, for instance (favors background checks, at a minimum), expanded Medicaid in a red state, and an ardent defender of public land. He's not reflexively anti-energy, due to his constituency here, but not an industry shill either. I really hope he runs, I think he adds something to the race. Although a long shot for the top of the ticket, I'd find him an intriguing second on a ticket with Harris, or klobuchar, or Booker. Also would be a good candidate for an administration post (interior, attorney general, dept of ag?).

[Honeycombe8]

16. I was hoping a governor would enter the fray. I'm okay with his stances...

as I understand them. Except the climate change...it didn't say his position on that. That's a YUGE issue.

Other than that, I'm very interested. He's the right age, very qualified. I would vote for him way before I'd vote for Harris for the nominee. I don't see a governor being second on the ticket. Governor trumps Senator and prosecutor and AG.

Klobuchar and Booker -they might as well hang up their skates. I like Klobuchar, but she has no presence or charisma. Booker...I don't think he'll be able to muster the numbers.

Harris could be AG, though. Hasn't she done that before, on a state level?

[brooklynite]

8. I had dinner with him to discuss this back in December...

He's not as appealing as Hickenlooper, but he can point to getting elected in a Red State at the same time that Trump did.

[BlueintheSTL]

9. He needs to run for Senate against Daines

If he does it would be a great pickup opportunity. If he wants to run for president first that is fine, but once reality hits him and his campaign goes nowhere, he will wise up. He belongs in the Senate. He or Schweitzer are the only two people in the state that can put that seat in play, and we need as many seats in play as possible come 2020 to regain the Senate.

[MontanaFarmer]

11. I wish he would

But i'm unsure he's got that interest. I think he could beat daines, in an anti- trump year. He does not, in my opinion, quite have the political and rhetorical chops to get to the highest levels of the primary contest, despite being someone I like and admire a ton. It'll be interesting to see if he can be convinced to run hard for senate, or if he indeed angles for a VP spot or a cabinet position.

[Honeycombe8]

22. Oh, he doesn't have the chops? 'Cause the 2020 race is going to be very tough.

Whoever the candidate is, he or she will have to have debate skills, fast thinker on his/her feet, good with quick comebacks, aggressive, an excellent communicator.....Trump uses what he knows best: verbal attacks, verbal rhetoric, personal insults, name calling.

[MontanaFarmer]

23. My personal opinion only

Is that he's pretty effective in a small group setting, but not well-suited to the lofty rhetoric required to inspire people to his cause. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy and the success he's had in this red state. He's an effective governor, and he's won 3 statewide elections here, so maybe I'm selling him short.

[Blue_true]

37. I saw him debate on CSPAN when he ran for reelection.

I agree that he is a more cerebral debater, seems to contemplate before he provides a response. But I felt that he won the debate because he was cool headed while his opponent made many foolish statements. I honestly never saw him taking the top of the presidential ticket, but would make an appealing second.

I saw him as pretty progressive for where he was running. His opponent tried to trip him up on energy policy and he gave good answers that climate change was real then listed ways that using carbon based fuel can possibly be made less impactful. He was a big proponent of bringing hitech businesses to Montana as a way to provide higher paying jobs there.

[MontanaFarmer]

42. Cerebral is a good way to put it

I've been in exactly one meeting with him. More of a listening session, really, with about 15 industry types. It was impressive to me that on his listening session tour, he actually...listened. He had a mastery of the issues, but didn't need to beat his chest over how smart he was. So I agree with you, I think he's an intriguing guy for the #2, and/or a spot in the cabinet. He's got the ability to appeal to political moderates, but he's not Joe Manchin, if that makes sense. He's the most progressive of any of the Big 4 Montana Dems who've repeatedly won statewide here the past 20 years (Baucus, Tester, Schweitzer, Bullock). My largest complaint with his tenure as Governor largely mirrors that of Obama's presidency. We have not built a bench, at all, in the state while he's been in charge. The Land Board positions (auditor, superintendent of schools, AG, SOS) have all gone GOP since he was elected, and he kind of ran through lieutenant governors to the point there's not an obvious choice to run on the dem ticket to succeed him. But he's someone to keep an eye on the next 12-16 months, to be sure.

[Honeycombe8]

19. Governors don't normally run for Senate. It's a step down.

Governors are the top execs of states. They're used to making the decisions, running things. The Senate requires a different set of skills. It's a group thing. No one Senator runs the show or makes the decisions.

That's why governors are preferred over Senators as Presidents. Those are both executive positions. Senators don't usually get elected as President. It almost never happens. It's happened twice in half a century, I think. And those two were Senators for not very long, and ONLY for the purpose of stepping up, to make them seem to be more qualified as President. (JFK, Obama)

But it CAN happen, I guess.

I'd prefer voting for a governor, but that's me.

[Hawaii Hiker]

31. It just happened in Florida unfortunately

with Rick Scott

[Garrett78]

36. Many governors are ready for retirement when done governing. About a dozen have become Senators.

If you're a governor, your term is ending and you're in your late 60s, you might not be inclined to serve a 6-year Senate term...assuming there's even an opportunity to run for a seat that you can win. Bullock, though, is a good candidate for winning a US Senate seat in 2020.

There's certainly something to running for president before you've developed a long history in the Senate or any other office. Only 6 presidents have been over the age of 62 (most have been 56 or younger) when taking office, and the average age of the last 5 Democratic presidents was 48 when taking office. Harris, Booker, O'Rourke and others know that now is the time. Just as Obama did.

[Honeycombe8]

43. I still haven't seen anyone I want to vote for, for the Democratic nominee.

I'd be interested in a governor. If Bullock isn't the one, maybe there's another one.

I haven't heard Bullock speak or debate, so maybe he doesn't have what it takes. But so far, I'm more interested in him than anyone else.

I'm so disinterested in the current candidates, or think they are unqualified, that I think I might stay home. Altho I would of course vote for any Democrat over anyone else in the general election. We can't risk a repeat of 2016. I'm a reliable voter, if nothing else.

O'Rourke hasn't thrwn his hat in the ring. Biden hasn't thrown his hat in.

So far we have Harris, Booker, Brown, that Hawaian person who has the LGBT issues, Klobuchar, and maybe someone else who is so forgettable that I can't remember who it is. Oh yeah...Warren.

So IF Bullock throws his hat in, he would go to the top of my list.

[2naSalit]

25. That's the speculation I've ben hearing

in this part of Montana.

[Garrett78]

18. He's among the 3-4 dozen individuals who have been listed as potential candidates.

I'd rather he run for the US Senate.

While 7 governors have become president, I don't see Bullock or Inslee (or ex-governor Hickenlooper) becoming the 8th.

[Honeycombe8]

20. Governors have a better chance than Senators, looks like. Former V.P.s also fare well.

Note that the 2 senators were Senators for only a short time, and only as a stepping stone to the Presidency.

Obama (Senator)
Bush Jr. (gov.)
Clinton (gov.)
George HW Bush (former V.P.)
Reagan (gov)
Ford (incumbent President, former V.P.)
Nixon (former V.P.)
LBJ (incumbent President, former V.P.)
JFK (Senator)
Eisenhower (General)
Truman (former V.P.)

[Garrett78]

24. Times change and you really have to consider the individuals who are running.

I think it's fair to say Harris, Booker, Klobuchar and others have a better chance than Bullock, Inslee, etc.

And while only 3 have gone straight from the US Senate to the White House, including our most recent legitimate president, 16 presidents served in the US Senate at some point.

[2naSalit]

26. I would rather he run for Daines' Senate seat.

He's been a pretty good Governor, I'd vote for him for any office but I think it would be a waste of his time in this race with such a large field. And I think we should try to have a woman in the WH this time around.

[MontanaMama]

27. I'm with you.

We need to set Daines free. Bullock would make a phenomenal Senator.

[2naSalit]

28. He would make a really good Senator

and I think he should go for it. And I wish we could get rid of the body slammer in the House too.

[MontanaMama]

30. No shit...

What a freaking embarrassment.

[2naSalit]

32. Haha! I was thinking

exactly that before I saw your text! I agree, he's an embarrassment, and that's being kind.

[BluegrassDem]

34. Good. I want to see more diverse ideas from our party

I don't want our primary to full of only left wing candidates that just preach the same pages out of Bernie's handbook. I want to see a rigorous debate of ideas, even from moderate Dems and let the chips fall. I