Capitol Report: Here are the 17 Democrats running for president after Montana Gov. Bullock’s exit

The 2020 Democratic field is contracting again, declining to 17 contenders thanks to Montana Gov. Steve Bullock dropping out Monday.

“It has become clear that in this moment, I won’t be able to break through to the top tier of this still-crowded field of candidates,” Bullock said in a statement.

The Democratic Party’s pool of White House hopefuls has shrunk only somewhat over the past five months. While 10 politicians have dropped out of the race for the nomination during that stretch, other contenders have jumped in, with billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg formally launching his campaign on Nov. 24, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick entering on Nov. 14, and billionaire activist Tom Steyer announcing his run in July.

Read more: Bloomberg makes it official: ‘I’m running for president’

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Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to lead the pack in national polls, though South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg ranks No. 1 in surveys focused on Iowa, which has a critical role thanks to its first-in-the-nation caucuses. Buttigieg had been trailing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in Iowa, but he became the front-runner in the Hawkeye State in mid-November.

The other Democrats seeking to take on Trump next year include Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and entrepreneur Andrew Yang also remain in the mix.

Read more: Some Democratic presidential hopefuls are angling for the vice president slot — a gambit that rarely pays off

The next primary debate is scheduled for Dec. 19 in Los Angeles and features the toughest qualifying requirements to date, as the Democratic National Committee aims to winnow the 2020 field. The White House hopefuls will have to get at least 200,000 donors and achieve at least 4% support in four national or early-state polls, or score 6% in two early-state polls.

Related: Democratic contenders clash over ‘Medicare for All’ during November debate

And read: Voters want more climate-change debate, but the latest Democratic event gave less than 10 minutes to the issue

The first voter verdicts will come Feb. 3 with the Iowa caucuses.

Here is the MarketWatch list of contenders and the status of their candidacies, based on their statements:

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