‘Town Crier’ – Briefs from the Region (1) – 12/3/19

End of the road for candidate Bullock

For the Democrats, the 2020 presidential campaign has looked a lot like the Republican field in 2016—crowded and, at one point, populated by nearly two dozen candidates—leaving a vacuum for perhaps an unlikely dark horse to emerge. With political behemoths the likes of Michael Bloomberg recently casting his lot, and with Joe Biden recently reemerging as the decisive leader, the race has only grown more competitive. The heat has amounted to curtains for Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who on Dec. 2 announced the end to his campaign. “I entered this race as a voice to win back the places we lost, bridge divides and rid our system of the corrupting influence of Dark Money,” Bullock told the Great Falls Tribune in an email. “While the concerns that propelled me to enter in the first place have not changed, I leave this race filled with gratitude and optimism, inspired and energized by the good people I’ve had the privilege of meeting over the course of the campaign.” This fall, Bullock qualified for just one of the five Democratic debates.