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Democratic presidential candidate and Montana governor Steve Bullock speaks at the Iowa Democratic Party's Hall of Fame Dinner on June 9, 2019 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)

2020 Dem Steve Bullock Endorses McConnell Challenger Amy McGrath

By Joe Setyon July 10, 2019 at 2:42pm

Steve Bullock, the Democratic governor of Montana and a 2020 presidential candidate, was blindsided Wednesday by the near-universal response to a tweet expressing support for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s challenger.

McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, is facing a challenge from liberal Democrat Amy McGrath.

Bullock, for his part, is supporting McGrath.

“McConnell has stood in the way of American progress for decades. He has to go, and there’s no one like @AmyMcGrathKY to get this job done,” Bullock tweeted Wednesday.

“Kentuckians deserve a fighter like her in the Senate. Let’s help them get one,” he added, linking to a site where donors can give money to McGrath’s campaign.

McConnell has stood in the way of American progress for decades. He has to go, and there’s no one like @AmyMcGrathKY to get this job done.

Kentuckians deserve a fighter like her in the Senate. Let’s help them get one: https://t.co/aYjv5ZrhGD

— Steve Bullock (@GovernorBullock) July 10, 2019

Here’s the problem.

Do you think Steve Bullock is too proud to run for Senate instead of the presidency?

Polling at an average of just 0.6 percent, according to RealClearPolitics, Bullock is a long shot to win the 2020 Democratic nomination.

Many Democrats think that instead of running for president, he’d be better off taking a page out of McGrath’s book and challenging incumbent Montana GOP Sen. Steve Daines, who’s up for reelection in 2020.

And they didn’t have any problem telling him as much:

It’s a shame you aren’t doing your duty and running for Senate. White men and their egos will be the ruin of this nation.

— Miriam (@MiriamShulamit) July 10, 2019

PLEASE run for the Senate and flip the Senate with Amy.

— USS John S McCain DDG-56 “Big Bad John” ⚓ ?? (@AlgSolano) July 10, 2019

Maybe you should help flip the Senate by running for it, Steve

— Evan Sutton (@3vanSutton) July 10, 2019

Run for Senate

— Please Be Smarter (@messedupworthy) July 10, 2019

Run for senate you goober

— Tyler Dinucci (@TylerDinucci) July 10, 2019

So, maybe run for Senate?

— TechMomsLoveScience (@schelbysweeney) July 10, 2019

According to Politico, there’s significant party pressure on Bullock to run for Senate instead of president.

“There are three or four people in L.A. that are excited about his [presidential] candidacy. Otherwise, everyone else wants him to run for the Senate out here,” an unnamed Democratic senator told Politico in May.

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Tags:

2020 election, Democratic Party, Democratic primary, Democrats, Just In, Mitch McConnell, Politics, Senate

Joe Setyon

Deputy Managing Editor, Editorial

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Joe Setyon was a deputy managing editor for The Western Journal who had spent his entire professional career in editing and reporting. He previously worked in Washington, D.C., as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine.

@JoeSetyon

Joe Setyon was deputy managing editor for The Western Journal with several years of copy editing and reporting experience. He graduated with a degree in communication studies from Grove City College, where he served as managing editor of the student-run newspaper. Joe previously worked as an assistant editor/reporter for Reason magazine, a libertarian publication in Washington, D.C., where he covered politics and wrote about government waste and abuse.

Birthplace

Brooklyn, New York

Topics of Expertise

Sports, Politics