HELENA, Mont. — Gov. Steve Bullock — perhaps the one potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidate with a fan club of elected Republicans back home — presented his state as a model of governance in an era of D.C. dysfunction during his final State of the State address Thursday night.
“Now, you and I both know that the distance between Helena, Montana and Washington, D.C. is measured by more than the 2,150 geographical miles,” he told the Republican-dominated state legislature. “We see each other as neighbors first. When making political decisions we still share a common set of facts. By and large, we treat one another with respect, even when we disagree. Our politics are more than a sport, or a zero-sum game.“
Sticking to the form of such speeches, Bullock ticked off perceived accomplishments and set priorities for the upcoming legislative session set to end on May 1. Bullock will likely wait until then before making a final decision on a White House run. But he’s been laying groundwork for more than a year, making visits to Iowa and New Hampshire along and courting donors and national media.
His pitch to national audiences who don’t know him is that he won reelection in 2016 in a state Donald Trump won by 20 points and passed Medicaid expansion and campaign finance reform in a state legislature dominated by Republicans. In short, he says he’s a Democrat who can get stuff done and heal partisan wounds.
“His overwhelming characteristic is friendliness,” said Republican state Rep. Llew Jones, who broke with his party leadership to collaborate with Bullock on Medicaid expansion and campaign finance legislation.
“He’s a lot like Bill Clinton was in that he’s a likable guy and you want to get along with him,” said Sen. Jason Small.
As far as a White House run, recently termed-out Republican Rep. Rob Cook said, “I’d go so far as to say he wouldn’t suck.”
In interviews with ten Republican legislators, including the speaker of the House and Senate majority leader, they conceded that Bullock’s “nice guy” approach has been effective in moving forward some of his priorities.
“He’s done as good as you can with the sack of groceries he’s been given,” said Cook. “He got some ramen noodles and tomato paste,” he continued, referring to the Republican majorities that made a full course of liberal accomplishments difficult.
Some Republicans argued that Bullock was also lucky that there was a group of pragmatic Republicans who were willing to buck their party leaders and vote with Democrats.
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“I actually like the governor,” said Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas, while adding that he found him “thin-skinned.” When it comes to presidential aspirations, Thomas said Bullock would “be a lot better than a lot of these other nuts running.” He expects the upcoming session with Bullock to be productive.
The most contentious issue Bullock will navigate over the next few months is an extension of the Medicaid expansion, which is due to expire this summer. Bullock supported a ballot measure last November that would have funded the expansion with a tobacco tax but voters defeated the measure by 5 points. Republicans seem willing to keep the Medicaid expansion intact but are asking for add-ons like work requirements that the governor opposes.
While Bullock negotiates on Medicaid expansion, ambitious Democrats are jumping into the 2020 contest for the White House every week. Many are positioning themselves as more ideological fighters, betting that Democratic voters want a tougher approach with unapologetic liberalism.
By contrast, Bullock talked in his speech about balancing budgets and bragged about the state adding private sector jobs while also having “fewer state employees today than when I took office.”
Bullock’s relative moderation has led some state legislators to speculate that the trips to Iowa and New Hampshire are an attempt to raise a national profile before ultimately running for Senate against Republican incumbent Steve Daines in 2020. He may be the only Democrat in the state who could beat Daines.
Plus, some Republicans say Bullock simply has a better shot of becoming senator than president.
“All of his accomplishments have been done with a Republican-controlled legislature, which I think speaks to his character,” said Republican Rep. Ed Buttrey, who worked closely with Bullock on Medicaid expansion. “But he ain’t gonna beat Trump!”