If you’re running for president and trying to win the New Hampshire primary, Market Days, in Concord, is exactly the sort of event you want to hit: thousands of potential supporters walking the streets, blissed out from balmy weather and fast food, just waiting for you to make your case.

As Steve Bullock worked his way through the Market Days crowd recently, he caused a mild ripple of interest — though while Bullock carried himself like a politician, and was trailed by a small entourage, not everyone knew who he was.

“I’m the governor of Montana, actually,” Bullock told one man.

“Wow!” the man replied. “Are you running for president?”

When Bullock said yes, the man chuckled. “It’s almost like I need to ask everybody!”

“They all could be,” Bullock acknowledged.

This lack of familiarity may not be surprising. Bullock only made his presidential candidacy official in May, and the swing through Market Days was his first stop on his first visit to New Hampshire since then.

That, in turn, may help explain why Bullock won't be on the stage when most other Democrats debate this Wednesday and Thursday. His campaign thought he'd made the cut, but the Democratic National Committee said a poll that would have gotten Bullock in didn't count. He will, apparently, participate in the next round of debates, in July.

Read more: How To Watch The Democratic Presidential Debates

As low as Bullock's profile has been to date, though, there’s one big achievement on his political resume that sets him apart. He was re-elected on the same day Donald Trump carried Montana by 20 points — making him the only 2020 Democrat who’s won a state that also backed the president.

That’s first big thing to know about Bullock’s candidacy. The second? He believes the best way for Democrats to win over at least some Trump voters is to focus on economic issues.

“You gotta recognize, the average worker here, or anywhere else, hasn’t had an actual pay increase in 40 years, adjusted by real terms,” Bullock said in Concord. “Or, 44 percent of Americans don’t have 400 bucks in their pocket in case of emergency.

“If we’re not turning around saying we can actually make your life better — everybody ought to have that fair shot at a better life — then we’re missing something,” he added.

But if that makes Bullock sound like a twangier, Wrangler Jeans-wearing Sen. Elizabeth Warren, think again. While he touts his ability to expand Medicare in a red state, working with a heavily Republican legislature, Bullock doesn’t back so-called “Medicare for All.” Instead, he says that when it comes to healthcare reform, a public option is the right way to go.

To be clear, plenty of other 2020 Democratic candidates feel the same way. More unusual, by far, is Bullock’s belief that the death penalty should be available in cases that involve the “most heinous” federal crimes, like terrorism — though he’s quick to add some significant caveats.

“I’ve been attorney general, and I’ve been governor,” Bullock said. “There haven’t been any executions the whole time that I’ve served in public office, and there can be significant economic and racial disparities when it comes to the overall criminal justice system, and the death penalty as well.”

All of which raises an obvious question: Is Bullock a centrist, like former Vice President Joe Biden? Or a full-on progressive, like Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders?

While this reporter's sense is that Bullock falls somewhere in between centrism and progressivism, the answer probably depends on your own criteria. That said, it’s worth noting that a Bullock executive order made Montana the first state to embrace net neutrality after the FCC repealed it; that Bullock was the first Montana governor to officiate at a same-sex wedding; and that NARAL Pro-Choice America says he has “strongly protected access” to abortion — a point he referenced repeatedly in New Hampshire.

“I’ve never once compromised on a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions in Montana, because that should be made by the woman, in consultation with her doctor, with her family and faith if she so chooses,” Bullock told one woman. "It shouldn’t be made by guys like us."

There's one more thing that stands out when you watch Bullock in action. When he gets the chance, he shows off an appealingly offbeat sense of humor.

During his Concord press gaggle, for example, a WGBH News reporter began a question this way: “Governor, tell me if I’m wrong here, but — ”

“You’re wrong!” Bullock exclaimed. “Just kidding. Sorry.”

A minute later, it was another reporter’s turn. “You’re here in New Hampshire — ”

“I sure am!” Bullock bellowed happily, briefly throwing her and everybody else.

In a jam-packed field in which everyone is seeking a way to stand out, there are worse traits for a candidate to have.