Democrats are still reeling from their Election Day defeat, and talk has already turned to who will take up the mantle in 2020.

It doesn’t matter that President-elect Donald Trump has yet to even take office. You can never start the speculation too early – after all, there’s fundraising to begin!

Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post contemplated potential candidates in a couple of columns earlier this week, and one name being floated will sound familiar to Treasure State residents.

Gov. Steve Bullock.

Wait, really?

As Cillizza puts it, “If Democrats want to try to further their gains in the West, Bullock could be an appealing choice. He won re-election earlier this month with a (bare) majority of the vote even as Trump was cruising to victory in the Last Best Place.”

However, it would likely not be smooth sailing for Montana’s governor.

“One major problem for Bullock: He’s never raised anywhere near the sort of money he would need to be competitive with some of the bigger names on this list,” Cillizza states.

Another hurdle for Bullock: the state’s measly three Electoral College votes.

That photo looks familiar ...

Our hearts go out residents of Gatlinburg, Tenn., where a wildfire has claimed at least 11 lives. The pictures have been heartbreaking and devastating.

But one hit a little close to home.

A photo making the rounds on social media as being from the Gatlinburg fire is actually John McColgan’s iconic photo taken during a wildfire near Sula in 2000.

The photo’s new life shows once again just how fast misinformation can spread online.

No foolin’

December is National Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month, and Montana is one of the least vulnerable states, according to a report by WalletHub.

Montana ranks 45th out of 51 states (and D.C.) in WalletHub’s study of states that are the most vulnerable to identity theft and fraud. The District of Columbia ranks No. 1; South Dakota is 51.

In addition, Montana has the lowest average loss amount from online identity theft.

Keep up the good work Montana, and remember to stay vigilant while you’re doing your Christmas shopping.

For the full study, go to http://bit.ly/1lZDuXt.

Bumper snicker

Preserve the wolf

And take him

To a taxidermist

–seen on a white Ford Explorer with Cascade County plates on Central Avenue

Number of the week

30 percent

That’s how many retirement accounts are classified as lost.

Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, (And there’s a surprising team. Go bipartisanship!), are backing a bill for an IRS registry to help people track down lost 401(k) retirement accounts. In this day and age, with people jumping from job to job and employers fluid, it’s easy to lose track of a savings account – and can be a blow to retirement security, with more than $100 million in annual benefits not collected, the Wall Street Journal reported.