Run for Senate

Hickenlooper to run for Senate in Colorado

The former Denver mayor and two-term governor enters the contest as the prohibitive Democratic front-runner.

By QUINT FORGEY and JAMES ARKIN

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who dropped out of the Democratic presidential primary race one week ago, announced Thursday that he will challenge Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020.

“I don’t think Cory Gardner understands that the games he’s playing with Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are hurting the people of Colorado," Hickenlooper said in a campaign video, filmed in a pool hall, which touched on pre-existing conditions, prescription drug prices, the protection of public lands and climate change.

“Look, I’m a straight shooter. I've always said Washington was a lousy place for a guy like me who wants to get things done," Hickenlooper said. "But this is no time to walk away from the table. I know changing Washington is hard, but I want to give it a shot."

In his video statement released last Thursday marking the end of his White House campaign, Hickenlooper said he’s heard from many Coloradans who want him to jump into the race against Gardner, widely considered one of the most vulnerable Senate Republicans up for re-election next year.

“They remind me how much is at stake for our country. And our state,” Hickenlooper said of those urging him to mount a Senate bid. “I intend to give that some serious thought.”

Hickenlooper was one of a handful of Democrats vying to take on President Donald Trump who came under pressure from party officials to abandon his campaign in favor of a run for Senate, where a Democratic administration’s agenda could be hobbled by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke have faced similar calls.

While viewed initially as a formidable opponent to Gardner who could handily clear the field of Democratic aspirants for Senate in Colorado, Hickenlooper’s once-outsized standing in the race diminished during his failed five-month presidential campaign.

The former Denver mayor and two-term governor now joins a roughly dozen-strong pack of Democrats seeking to deny Gardner a second term — several of whom have raised substantial sums and signaled that they do not intend to drop out despite Hickenlooper joining the race.

Colorado has become increasingly blue in recent years, and likely represents Democrats' best opportunity to flip a GOP-held Senate seat. Democrats need a net gain of three seats, along with a White House victory that would bring the vice president's tie-breaking vote, in order to take back the Senate. National Democrats view Gardner, who won narrowly in 2014, as a weak incumbent regardless of their nominee, but believe Hickenlooper’s experience and name identification in the state would make him the safest bet for the must-win race.

Although Hickenlooper enters the contest as the prohibitive front-runner — a recent private poll showed six-in-ten Democrats supporting him in the primary — he launches his new campaign with bridges to repair and significant work to do to convince party faithful to support him as the Senate nominee.

Hickenlooper repeatedly disparaged the job of senator during his presidential campaign and argued that he was better positioned to be an executive. He said earlier this year that he was “not cut out to be a senator.” And he repeatedly urged his party not to shift too far to the left during the White House race, though Colorado’s base has become more liberal since he last won election in 2014. Some Democrats in the state, particularly in the progressive wing of the party, remain skeptical of Hickenlooper.

The other Democratic Senate candidates include former state Sen. Mike Johnston, former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, former ambassador Dan Baer, former U.S. attorney John Walsh, former House leader Alice Madden and state Sen. Angela Williams.

Johnston had more than $2.6 million cash on hand as of the end of July, while Baer had more than $1 million. Romanoff has also raised more than $1 million for his campaign since joining the race.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee lashed out Thursday at the news of Hickenlooper's candidacy, with NRSC spokeswoman Joanna Rodriguez charging that he "is desperate to redeem himself after flopping on the national stage" in the presidential race.

"We think he said it best just a few months ago: he is ‘not cut out’ for the Senate,'" Rodriguez said in a statement.