Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper expected to drop out on Thursday – By Newser Editors and Wire Services (Newser) / Aug 15 2019
(Newser) – John Hickenlooper will drop out of the Democratic presidential primary on Thursday, a source says. The two-term former Colorado governor, who ran as a moderate warning of the perils of extreme partisanship, struggled with fundraising and low polling numbers, per the AP. His planned departure from the 2020 race was confirmed Wednesday night by a Democrat not authorized to speak publicly before the announcement. Hickenlooper, 67, isn’t expected to announce a decision Thursday on whether he’ll run for Senate in Colorado against GOP Sen. Cory Gardner, though he’s been discussing the possibility with advisers. Hickenlooper became a political giant in Colorado for his quirky, unscripted approach to politics. He once jumped out of a plane to sell a ballot measure to increase state spending and won two statewide elections in a purple state during Republican wave years. He was previously the mayor of Denver.
He launched his long-shot White House bid in March, promising to unite the country. Instead, he quickly became a political punchline. Shortly before taking his first trip to Iowa as a candidate, Hickenlooper, who became a multimillionaire by founding a series of brewpubs, balked at calling himself a capitalist on national TV. Then, at a CNN town hall, he recounted how he once took his mother to see a pornographic movie. It didn’t help that, by Hickenlooper’s own admission, he’s a mediocre debater and erratic public speaker. In the end, he couldn’t even scrape together enough money for many of his trademark quirky ads, only launching one in which avid beer drinkers toast Hickenlooper by comparing him to favorite brews. (Rep. Eric Swalwell dropped out of the race in July.)
Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper speaks at the Presidential Gun Sense Forum on Aug. 10, 2019, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
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