2020 Presidential Campaign - It’s on

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Montana Gov. Steve Bullock just became the 23rd Democratic candidate to enter the presidential race Tuesday, seeking to distinguish himself from the crowded field by highlighting his record as a Democratic governor in a state that voted overwhelmingly for President Trump in 2016.

"We need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020 and defeat the corrupt system that let's campaign money drown out the people's voice, so we can finally make good on the promise of a fair shot for everyone," Bullock said in a video announcement.

In his first interview after announcing his run, Bullock told CBS News' Ed O'Keefe that he didn't see Mr. Trump as a good role model.

"I have plenty of policy disagreements with this president but also that the way that he conducts in the office and divides people, how he belittles people. That's not the example that you want out of a president. When we're expecting more from our preschoolers at times than a president, that's not the role model that I think most families want for their kids," said Bullock.

Asked about the ongoing trade dispute with China, Bullock said he considers the country "a tremendous economic threat" but criticized Mr. Trump's approach to trade.

"First of all, you don't just do it alone. America first shouldn't America alone, but you work with your allies and say that, 'Look, there's an expectation. If you're going to have access to my market, we'll have access on the same terms,'" Bullock said.

Bullock has managed to win several statewide elections in predominantly rural Montana by running as a moderate who also embraces some liberal proposals. During the 2016 election, when Mr. Trump won Republican-leaning Montana by nearly 21 percentage points, Bullock was reelected by a 4-point margin.

On Tuesday the Montana governor launched his presidential campaign at his alma mater, Helena High School, before leaving for a three-day, eight-county swing through Iowa. It'll be his seventh trip to the first-in-the-nation caucus state. He has also visited early-voting states like New Hampshire and Nevada over the past several months.

Since assuming control of the governor's mansion in 2013, he has supported same-sex marriage, net neutrality and held pro-choice views on abortion. He also worked with the Republican-controlled legislature to push through some of the most sweeping campaign finance reforms in the country. Before his current tenure as governor, he served as Montana's attorney general for one term.

Top Democrats in Montana and Washington are really excited about Gov. Steve Bullock running — for the Senate, not the presidency.

The Montana governor's seemingly quixotic presidential run comes as nearly everyone in the party is begging him to challenge GOP Sen. Steve Daines and transform the 2020 Senate map. Unlike any other Democratic candidate in the country, Bullock could make a virtually unwinnable Senate race competitive and give the party a real shot at knocking off a GOP incumbent and getting closer to a Senate majority.

I wish he would have run for the Senate,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). “Sure, you’d rather have Beto [O‘Rourke] in the [Texas Senate] race. But it doesn’t go from solid red to toss-up instantly. This is the one that would change the game.”

Bullock has been unequivocal in shrugging off the Senate recruitment, which has included conversations with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democratic senators. He doesn’t want to be one senator of 100, people who know him say, and fashions himself an executive, not a legislator.

“His answer on this question has been consistent and it is the same today. Gov. Bullock is not running for Senate,” said Galia Slayen, a spokeswoman for Bullock.

After announcing his presidential bid in Montana on Tuesday, Bullock told reporters he had at times been "frustrated at the inaction in Congress" and would be "more effective" as an executive. He said he had planned to pass on a run for Senate since winning reelection in 2016.

So party leaders have settled on a strategy: Let Bullock pursue the presidency, try not to antagonize him and wait until he realizes there’s little room for him to run in such a crowded field. Bullock argues that his 2016 reelection in deep red Trump country shows he’s got exactly what the party is missing, but Joe Biden appears to have locked up the centrist lane so far and there are a handful of other white men running.

Democrats hoping Bullock runs for the Senate don’t have many options other than that plan, but even a brief White House bid brings risks. A 2020 run could lead him to take more liberal positions to appeal to the party base and also be seen as a snub of his home state.

of course, she's not a GD fascist GOPer so if the dems nominate her, i will vote for her.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio entered the 2020 Democratic presidential primary Thursday morning, casting himself as the most accomplished progressive pick in a field of 23 candidates vying for a chance to challenge President Donald Trump next year.

In his announcement video, de Blasio took aim at Trump, calling him a "bully," then in an interview on ABC later in the morning said the President is "playing a big con on America."

"Every New Yorker knows, he's a con artist," de Blasio said. "We know his tricks, we know his playbook."

The mayor also touted a slate of policy wins, including universal Pre-K and his successful push for a $15 minimum wage.

"I know we can do it," he said, "because I've done it here in the largest, toughest city in this country."

De Blasio will hit the trail later Thursday, visiting Iowa before heading to South Carolina for events this weekend. The two-term mayor, who in 2017 became the first Democrat re-elected to his office in more than three decades, joins the race after months of deliberations and a handful of visits to early-voting states.

he questions dogging de Blasio, which tend to boil down to a simple "Why?," will be familiar to him. His first campaign for mayor was greeted with similar skepticism and doubt, if not the hostility and contempt generated by his presidential ambitions. A recent poll of New Yorkers found 76% of them did not think he should run. Whether de Blasio can transform those perceptions on the national stage -- where he's already been roasted by The Onion, which joked in a headline last week, "De Blasio PAC Spends $30 Million On Ads Urging Candidate Not To Embarrass Self By Running" -- will be his first test.

De Blasio's status at home has taken a hit as he ventured more openly into national politics. The popular policies -- like universal pre-K and raising the minimum wage -- have mostly disappeared from the headlines, which have focused on speculation over potential fundraising scandals and stories about the mayor's commuting habits.

The murder rate in New York City is low and declined again last year, but economic inequality -- the focus of de Blasio's first campaign -- remains a problem, as does the public housing authority, which has left many tenants living in squalor. De Blasio's constant feuding with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, most visibly over the city's troubled subway system, which is run by the state, also means he won't enter this primary with much support from statewide leaders.

I don't think there's any doubt creepy Joe Biden has been chosen to be the Democrat nominee. The same s**t that happened in 2016 is repeating, folks. The CNN poll that put Biden at number one was BS, since they had no figures for the younger demographic.

I've written off the Democratic Party. And to all the programmed Dems and lefties out there who may attempt to voter shame me for not supporting another corrupt neoliberal candidate, a big "f**k you!" in advance.

Or maybe in this thing called democracy among people who actually vote Hillary/Joe was preferred over [insert whatever candidate you wanted].

I'm not sure what your point is. Please clarify.

Sorry I may have been crossing streams a bit and responding to an attitude you don't actually have.

Hillary Clinton crushed Bernie Sanders in the last primary. She didn't crush him as much as people expected her to win by, but it was a beatdown.

Votes: 16,914,722 - 13,206,428 (55-43% or a 12 point gap )

Many of my ultra-liberal friends/colleagues expressed an idea that Bernie only lost because of Democratic party interference. They couldn't comprehend that the majority of Democrats actually preferred Hillary.

Similarly there seems to be an incredulity among the same group of people that Biden is leading the pack. The man is leading for 3 reasons:

1) Name recognition (this matters a lot in the early going)

2) Broadly acceptable politics (Biden's policies neither excite nor anger anyone)

3) An emphasis on electability. (Democrats want to beat Trump more than anything else)

Other candidates either lack the name recognition (Klobuchar, Booker, Buttigieg, Hickenlooper, Gabbard etc.), lack the broadly acceptable politics (Warren, Sanders, Harris, etc.) or both (Gillibrand, Yang). Special mention to Beto O'rourke who is basically a second Biden but young. Problem is the kind of voters who like Biden are the kind more apt to go for a seasoned hand than a young gun. The kind of voters that are willing the roll the dice on a fresh face are more likely to embrace the more controversial candidates as well.

Hillary wasn't anointed last round. She was a formidable opponent that scared most challengers out of the race. Biden isn't chosen, he's a former Vice President of a well-liked (at least in the Democratic party) president with a broadly democratic platform that doesn't rock the boat. A lot of the democratic electorate believes that makes him a good candidate.