Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announces campaign for 2020 Democratic presidential nomination

DENVER (AP) — Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announces campaign for 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. </s> Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has announced he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, becoming the second governor to join a crowded field of candidates.

In a short video released Monday morning, Hickenlooper pledged to fight what he referred to as a crisis that threatens everything America stands for, as a picture of President Trump flashed on the screen, "As a skinny kid with Coke bottle glasses and a funny last name. I've stood up to my fair share of bullies. Standing tall when it matters is one of the things that really drives me."

The 67-year-old former geologist, beer brewer and mayor of Denver has been considering a presidential bid for some time. He often touts his state's solid economic growth, especially in rural parts of Colorado. Hickenlooper also points to his accomplishments as governor, such as Medicaid expansion, increased infrastructure and public education spending and overhauling state campaign finance laws. He also led Colorado through major challenges, including historic wildfires and floods, and a mass shooting at a movie theater in a Denver suburb.

"I promised Colorado families that we would rebuild our communities better than before, and that just offering thoughts and prayers would never again be sufficient," said Hickenlooper, who served two terms as governor.

In 2013 Hickenlooper signed universal background checks into law and a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines, but his pro-business centrist profile could be a turn-off for progressives in the party. He's also been a strong supporter of Colorado's oil and gas industry, which is sure to be a point of contention for some Democrats.

As governor, he was known to try to build consensus and compromise on tough issues tackling the state. He argues there's more Democrats agree on than disagree, and that he could be a draw for independent voters and disaffected Republicans.

In an interview with NPR last month, Hickenlooper warned Democrats that the party needed to stand for more than opposition to President Trump.

"I think there is so much frustration at the national level, and I think President Trump has created this, so that the one way that people can demonstrate quickly and firmly that they are against Trump is to show anger and really lash out — at either President Trump or someone — to demonstrate that they have the same values as the Democratic primary voters. And I understand, I feel that," Hickenlooper said. "But I think there might be a kind of a new silent majority of people that are also going to want to see achievement.

While Hickenlooper isn't as well-known as some other potential challengers, he made that a clear lack of name recognition won't stop him. He formed a political action committee and began traveling for candidates during the midterm elections. This year, he's been making stops in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, where Democratic voters will get their first crack at weighing in on the field. Hickenlooper kicks off his campaign Thursday night in downtown Denver. He then heads on a two-day swing through Iowa, followed by a stop at the South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas. </s> Former Governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper announced he is dropping out of the presidential race, ahead of the third round of Democratic primary debates next month.

“Even though this campaign didn’t have the conclusion we were hoping for, every moment of it has been worthwhile,” Hickenlooper said in a statement on Thursday, Xinhua reported.

Hickenlooper signaled that he will consider running for the US Senate to unseat Republican incumbent Cory Gardner.

Opinion writer Jennifer Rubin applauded Hickenlooper’s exit, saying downsizing his party’s crowded candidate field can help Democratic voters decide on the best person to run against US President Donald Trump in the presidential race.

Hickenlooper announced his candidacy in March, striking a moderate tone among his Democratic opponents. He emphasized on his successful administrative record in Colorado on the campaign trail, but after two appearances on national debate stages, his campaign was lagging behind in securing the poll and donor numbers needed to put him through the third round of debate.

Hickenlooper, 67, previously served as the mayor of Denver and the governor of Colorado. </s> Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper ended his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday, releasing a video in which he nodded at the possibility of a future Senate run.

The announcement comes after three Democrats familiar with the matter told CNN on Wednesday that Hickenlooper was poised to drop out.

"Today, I'm ending my campaign for President," Hicklenlooper said in the three-minute video. "But I will never stop believing that America can only move forward when we work together."

He added: "A little over six months ago, I announced my run for President. In almost every aspect, this journey has been more exciting and more rewarding than I ever imagined. Although, of course, I did imagine a very different conclusion."

Hickenlooper, who struggled to break out of the crowded field of candidates, has not yet decided whether he will run for the Senate as party leaders have urged him to do, sources said. He did not make an announcement on that decision in the Thursday video, but acknowledged the possibility.

"People want to know what comes next for me. I've heard from so many Coloradans who want me to run for the United States Senate. They remind me how much is at stake for our country. And our state. I intend to give that some serious thought," the governor said. "I've been a geologist, a small businessman, a mayor, a governor and a candidate for president of the United States. At each step, I've always looked forward with hope. And I always will."

Hickenlooper's exit from the race leaves 23 other Democrats vying for the 2020 nomination.

Hickenlooper framed his candidacy around stemming the leftward lurch of the Democratic Party. The two-term Colorado governor was a moderate voice in the primary, making his opposition to democratic socialism-- including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' political philosophy -- central to his campaign.

But that strategy failed to gain traction and Hickenlooper's campaign lost three of its most senior staffers in early July, including Brad Komar, the campaign manager. The losses signaled to many Democrats that Hickenlooper's campaign was on its last legs, but Democrats close to the governor said he wanted to stay in and reassess his chances after CNN's debate in late July.

Following that debate, it appeared the former Denver mayor would struggle to make the stage in the next round of debates in September as he was behind on both the fundraising and polling thresholds for qualification.

Hickenlooper's exit now opens the possibility that the once popular governor could run for Senate in Colorado, challenging Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican seen as one of the most vulnerable lawmakers in 2020.

Hickenlooper spoke with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York about potentially challenging Gardner following the July debate. He pressed ahead with his presidential campaign following that conversation, visiting the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines this past weekend along with many of the other presidential candidates.

Hickenlooper faces two issues in a Senate run, though: The governor has lambasted the prospect of running for Senate and Democratic Colorado Senate candidate Mike Johnston raised more in the second quarter of 2019 than Hickenlooper raised for his presidential bid.

The former governor spent the first few months of his presidential campaign knocking the idea of him jumping into the Senate race.

"If the Senate is so good, how come all of those senators are trying to get out?" Hickenlooper told CNN earlier this year, a nod to the number of Democratic senators who are running for president.

"The Senate doesn't attract me," he said. "It just doesn't attract me."

But by last weekend, with his presidential campaign nearing an end, he told CNN, "I don't rule anything out."

Even in a crowded Democratic primary, Hickenlooper is still seen as the party's strongest candidate to take on Gardner. Curtis Hubbard, a Democratic strategist for a firm that has worked for Hickenlooper in the past, has recently registered domain names like Hick4Senate.com in the hope that the former governor switches races. </s> Colorado's former Democratic Governor John Hickenlooper launched his 2020 presidential campaign Monday, the 14th Democratic candidate to jump into the field.

Hickenlooper, 66, served as Colorado's highly popular governor for two terms before being succeeded by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis. Before that, he was the mayor of Denver (a non-partisan position) and a successful businessman who founded Colorado's first brewery pub, helping bring jobs and economic development to Denver.

Hickenlooper made the announcement in a video titled "Standing Tall," where he charts his own life from a laid-off geologist, to a brew pub owner, to mayor of Denver, to governor. He highlights his experience as why he should be the person to challenge Donald Trump, who he casts as a "bully."

"I'm running for president because we're facing a crisis that threatens everything we stand for," Hickenlooper says over images of Trump. "As a skinny kid with coke bottle glasses and a funny last name, I've stood up to my fair share of bullies.

"I'm running for president because we need dreamers in Washington but we also need to get things done," he says. I've proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver."

In December, the Associated Press reported that Hickenlooper was quickly hiring up staff, including pollsters and fundraisers, for his Giddy Up PAC, created in 2017.

As governor, Hickenlooper struck a balance between espousing socially progressive policies on issues such as gun control while making Colorado a desirable home for business interests, including large energy companies.

While some progressives have criticized Hickenlooper for being too friendly to big oil & gas companies, including paving the way for fracking in Colorado, his supporters highlight his ability to work across the aisle and get along with just about anyone.

Read more:Our exclusive with Colorado's colorful, rising-star governor, the man some Davos elites say could lead Democrats in 2020

Throughout his entire political career, he's even refused to air any negative ads against his opponents - although that may have to change in the hyper-polarized environment of 2019.

"I think there's a point where someone like me — I'm an entrepreneur, I'm a problem solver, I've been good at bringing people together that historically have been antagonistic," Hickenlooper told CNN in December.

"Maybe the country needs someone that can bring the divided parts of the country and the divided constituencies back together."

Hickenlooper touts his record creating jobs, reducing unemployment, and increasing quality of life for rural Coloradans as the high points of his record as governor.

If Hickenlooper's presidential bid doesn't succeed, he would be well-positioned to challenge vulnerable Republican Colorado Senator Cory Gardner, who is up for re-election in 2022, or land a cabinet position in a future Democratic administration. </s> Updated at 9:55 a.m. ET

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has announced he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, becoming the second governor to join a crowded field of candidates.

In a short video released Monday morning, Hickenlooper pledged to fight what he referred to as a crisis that threatens everything America stands for, as a picture of President Trump flashed on the screen, "As a skinny kid with Coke bottle glasses and a funny last name. I've stood up to my fair share of bullies. Standing tall when it matters is one of the things that really drives me."

In an interview with Colorado Public Radio, Hickenlooper said he has his own tactic for dealing with Trump's aggressive tactics.

"You say back what they're saying, but you twist it just enough so the people they're trying to impress see the lunacy, the comedy in what they're trying to say," Hickenlooper said. "When their audience begins laughing at them, it drives most bullies nuts."

The 67-year-old former geologist, beer brewer and mayor of Denver has been considering a presidential bid for some time. He often touts his state's solid economic growth, especially in rural parts of Colorado. Hickenlooper also points to his accomplishments as governor, such as Medicaid expansion, increased infrastructure and public education spending and overhauling state campaign finance laws. He also led Colorado through major challenges, including historic wildfires and floods, and a mass shooting at a movie theater in a Denver suburb.

"I promised Colorado families that we would rebuild our communities better than before, and that just offering thoughts and prayers would never again be sufficient," said Hickenlooper, who served two terms as governor, in his launch video.

In 2013, Hickenlooper signed universal background checks into law and a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines, but his pro-business centrist profile could be a turn-off for progressives in the party. He's also been a strong supporter of Colorado's oil and gas industry, which is sure to be a point of contention for some Democrats.

As governor, he was known to try to build consensus and compromise on tough issues tackling the state. He argues there's more Democrats agree on than disagree, and that he could be a draw for independent voters and disaffected Republicans.

In an interview with NPR last month, Hickenlooper warned Democrats that the party needed to stand for more than opposition to President Trump.

"I think there is so much frustration at the national level, and I think President Trump has created this, so that the one way that people can demonstrate quickly and firmly that they are against Trump is to show anger and really lash out — at either President Trump or someone — to demonstrate that they have the same values as the Democratic primary voters. And I understand, I feel that," Hickenlooper said. "But I think there might be a kind of a new silent majority of people that are also going to want to see achievement.

Hickenlooper joins a field that now has 14 declared major candidates. He said that what sets him apart from his opponents is that many of them have spent long careers in Washington engaged in a "debate of words" while he's been focused on making his state function.

"I understand we need debate, but we also need doers," Hickenlooper told Colorado Public Radio. "I'm someone who, pretty much my whole adult life, has been spent bringing together talented teams of people and then working with them to accomplish real progressive change."

While Hickenlooper isn't as well-known as some other potential challengers, he made that a clear lack of name recognition won't stop him. He formed a political action committee and began traveling for candidates during the midterm elections. This year, he's been making stops in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, where Democratic voters will get their first crack at weighing in on the field. Hickenlooper kicks off his campaign Thursday night in downtown Denver. He then heads on a two-day swing through Iowa, followed by a stop at the South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas. </s> John Hickenlooper, the beer entrepreneur turned politician who touted a talent for “bringing people together” to heal a divided country, will end his campaign for the White House on Thursday, The Denver Post has confirmed with two sources.

The former Colorado governor is expected to announce his decision in a taped video that is tentatively scheduled to be released at 11 a.m., an aide to Hickenlooper said.

Hickenlooper’s departure from the crowded 2020 Democratic field, first reported by CBS4, comes as national party faithful stepped up pressure for him to instead take on Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner. Hickenlooper has not yet decided whether he’ll mount a Senate campaign — an idea he had rejected repeatedly in recent months even though polling showed he would far outstrip the current Democratic field.

Hickenlooper’s presidential bid focused heavily on his track record as Denver mayor and Colorado governor. He led the state out of the Great Recession to become one of the strongest economies in the nation. Under his tenure, he also signed a number of progressive policies into law, including a suite of gun control bills and civil unions for same-sex couples.

However, Hickenlooper’s centrist image as a Western governor bent on cooperating with Republicans never caught traction with the Democratic base.

His exit will leave one Coloradan, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, in the Democratic primary field of about two dozen candidates. </s> The Democrat and self-described “extreme moderate” announced his 2020 run for the White House on Monday morning in a YouTube video that highlights his accomplishments as a Colorado businessman-turned-politician while also directly attacking President Donald Trump.

“I’ve stood up to my fair share of bullies,” Hickenlooper says in the campaign video after flashing clips of Trump. “Join me, and we’ll repair the damage done to our country and be stronger than ever.”

The video touts several advances in Colorado during his eight years as governor, including methane regulations, rising health care coverage rates, statewide economic growth and stricter gun laws ― including universal background checks and a ban on high-capacity magazines.

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced his presidential candidacy on Monday in a campaign video that ticked off his achievements while also attacking President Donald Trump.

That gun control legislation followed several mass shootings in his state, including the 2012 shooting at an Aurora movie theater that killed 12 people and wounded several dozen more.

“I’m running for president because we need dreamers in Washington, but we also need to get things done,” he says in the video. “I’ve proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver.”

Hickenlooper has been vocal about his presidential ambitions for some time but delayed announcing his candidacy until after his second gubernatorial term ended on Jan. 8. Those two terms as governor followed two terms as mayor of Denver and the launch of a successful brewpub company.

To test his electoral chances, Hickenlooper has been traveling the country and raising money for his federal leadership PAC. In its first four months, Giddy Up PAC pulled in more than $600,000 ― 80 percent of which came from people in Colorado, ﻿The Colorado Sun reported.

In early January, Hickenlooper told Denver station KDVR that upcoming trips to key primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire were to see if “someone from an interior state like Colorado can get traction. ... Can you raise enough money to compete on the national landscape?”

Even if his state doesn’t hold the same fundraising power as some other states, he said it makes up for that in its message to voters.

“What I do think that we’ve done in Colorado, this notion of finding ways to bring people together who normally don’t compromise ― I still believe that that has currency and value in America,” Hickenlooper, who has earned praise for his efforts to achieve bipartisan compromise, told the station.

A poll taken for The Des Moines Register, CNN and Mediacom in December found that the majority of Iowa’s likely Democratic caucusgoers ― 67 percent ― think they don’t know enough about Hickenlooper to assess him as a presidential candidate. Twenty-four percent of respondents said they have a very favorable or mostly favorable opinion of him, while the remaining 9 percent said they have a mostly or very unfavorable view of him. </s> Former Governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper becomes the 14th Democrat to announce a presidential bid, and the second governor after Jay Inslee to do so.

“I’m running for president because we’re facing a crisis that threatens everything we stand for,” Hickenlooper said over a picture of Donald Trump in a campaign video titled “As a skinny kid with Coke-bottle glasses and a funny last name, I’ve stood up to my fair share of bullies,” he said.

Hickenlooper has teased a run for months. Originally an oil industry geologist laid off in the 1980s, Hickenlooper opened a brew pub that he eventually grew turned into multiple restaurants and bars, giving him a background as a successful entrepreneur and executive. At 50, he became mayor of Denver and eventually Colorado governor for eight years when his term ended January 2019.

Hickenlooper is emphasizing his ability to work with a divided legislature, the state’s achievement of health care coverage for 95% of the population, high job growth, environmental laws, and universal background checks for gun purchases and bans on high-capacity gun magazines (more than 15 rounds) after the Aurora mass shooting. Under his watch, Colorado also legalized recreational marijuana.

“I’ve proven again and again that I can bring people together to produce the progressive change that Washington has failed to deliver,” Hickenlooper said.

Some Democratic strategists and consultants note that Hickenlooper has the executive experience the resumé of a governor offers, according to the . But he still lacks an overriding issue that could capture attention and let him pull away from the crowded field.
Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper announces he is running for the Democratic Party's nomination to be President of the United States in the 2020 presidential election.