Montana Gov. Steve Bullock on paper has a strong case for the Democratic nomination for president: He’s a twice-elected governor from a state Donald Trump won in 2016, he worked with a GOP-controlled legislature to expand Medicaid this year, and he is running against dark money in politics.
But so far, none of that seems to matter much to Democratic voters. Bullock has polled at best, at 1 percent in most national polls, and he missed the first Democratic debate last month. He hasn’t held a town hall on CNN, MSNBC or Fox News, as others in the field have. Bullock was also toward the back of the pack in fundraising, raising $2.1 million in the most recent quarter (although, unlike some others, his campaign wasn’t spending outside its means).