(CNN) Montana Gov. Steve Bullock is making plans to run for the US Senate, telling Democratic leaders that he intends to declare his candidacy in the coming days, a reversal that improves the party's chances for winning a majority in the Senate.

Two Democratic officials familiar with the matter tell CNN that Bullock, who briefly ran for president in 2020 , is now opening a door that he repeatedly insisted was closed . For months, Bullock bluntly said he had no interest in serving in the US Senate and would not be on the Montana ballot this fall.

In recent weeks, Bullock's resistance to a Senate campaign has eased, the officials said, with his family now warming to the idea. In conversations with party leaders, he has also cited the gravity of the times and the importance of Democrats trying to win back the chamber. Bullock would face Republican Sen. Steve Daines, who has built up an impressive $5 million war chest, in a state President Donald Trump carried by double digits in 2016.

Bullock is expected to make his announcement before the filing deadline on Monday.

The news was first reported by the New York Times

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