Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D.) said during a Sunday CNN town hall that he would not consider running for Senate should he fail to secure the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
Bullock's comment came after host Alisyn Camerota pushed him on whether or not he would consider helping Democrats take back the Senate from Republican leadership in 2020.
"I'm going to do everything I can to make sure we elect somebody to beat Steve Daines," Bullock said. "But for me part of it is professional, meaning the whole time I've served as an executive, I've been able to bring people together to get things done."
Bullock added that he thinks he is "best suited" for executive office. He also said his position as a Democrat, who won governorship in a predominantly Republican state, made him a better candidate.
"We should talk about not just the races in 2020, but how is it we've lost places like North Dakota, Indiana, Texas last time?" Bullock said. "If we actually want to win some of these red and purple states it might help to have somebody that's won in a red and purple state at the top of the ticket. And part of it's also, to be honest, personal. I still have young kids."
"Yes," Camerota said, before Bullock continued.
"And I know that President Obama had dinner with his kids a lot more than I would as a senator from Montana because I'd only see them on the weekends."
"So that's an absolute no?" Camerota asked.
"That's an absolute no," Bullock replied.
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper made a similar claim in February when he said that he was "not cut out to be a senator," according to Politico.
"Senators don’t build teams. Senators sit and debate in small groups, which is important, right? But I’m not sure that’s my—I’m a doer. That’s what gives me joy," Hickenlooper continued.
Hickenlooper walked back those comments on Thursday when he ended his campaign for the presidency and launched a campaign for the Senate, tweeting, "I've always said Washington is a lousy place for a guy like me, who knows how to get things done. But this is no time to walk away. Changing DC is hard, but I'm not done fighting for the people of Colorado. I'm running for U.S. Senate."
Some Democrats have also urged Beto O'Rourke to drop out of the presidential race and run for Senate again in Texas. O'Rourke vowed he wouldn't run for Senate under any scenario.