Bullock, Sestak end presidential bids
Democrats couldn’t break through to top tier
The Democratic presidential field is slightly smaller after two candidates ended their campaigns in less than 24 hours.
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock ended his campaign for the 2020 presidential nomination on Monday, saying it was clear he wasn’t gaining ground on the other candidates. Bullock, 53, has been governor since 2013. He previously served a term as Montana Attorney General of Montana.
“While there were many obstacles we could not have anticipated when entering this race, it has become clear that in this moment, I won’t be able to break through to the top tier of this stillcrowded field of candidates,” Bullock said in a statement. Bullock’s decision came after Joe Sestak, a former congressman and a retired three-star Navy vice admiral, ended his campaign Sunday evening.
“I deeply appreciate the support so many of you offered – whether by volunteering, offering financial contributions or coming to our campaign events,” Sestak tweeted Sunday evening.
Sestak, 67, represented Pennsylvania’s 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms between 2007 and 2011. At the time of his election, he was the highest ranking military official ever elected to Congress. He also was the Democratic nominee in Pennsylvania for the U.S.
Senate in 2010.
The Democratic field now sits at 16 candidates. Four candidates have left the race since Nov. 1, but two more – Deval Patrick and Michael Bloomberg – have jumped in.
Bullock announced his candidacy in May. His announcement video highlighted his role in leading Montana’s Citizens United pushback, one that was unsuccessful but cemented Bullock’s commitment to curbing corporate campaign spending.
In 2013, he attracted national attention as attorney general by challenging the Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission Supreme Court decision, defending his state’s ban on corporate campaign expenditures. The Citizens United ruling – which gave corporations the right to use money to attack or aid candidates – fell under that ban.
But he remained at the bottom of the polls and unfamiliar to many voters. His biggest national exposure appeared to come when he didn’t make the cut for the first debate, resulting in a slate of news stories and an appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
Sestak announced his bid for the presidency in late June, less than a week before the first round of presidential debates. He said his decision to delay the announcement was due to the relapse of his daughter’s brain cancer, which she first fought off at age 4.
He announced his candidacy on a video released on his campaign website.
“Our country desperately needs a president with a depth of global experience and an understanding of all the elements of our nation’s power, from our economy and our diplomacy to the power of our ideals and our military, including its limitations,” he said in the video.
However, Sestak did not qualify for any of the Democratic debates, and failed to gain traction in polling or with donors.