The Case for John Hickenlooper
For perhaps the first time in living memory, the 2020 election presents an existential choice for Colorado. Not only will Donald Trump appear on the ballot, but we will stand at the crossroads determining the United States Senate majority.
We should not have to explain the threat of another term of Donald Trump, coupled with another Republican Senate. As Americans have faced daily challenges making ends meet and raising their children to an uncertain future, a Republican Senate majority has also meant turning a blind eye to criminality at the highest levels of government and even standing down our guard against a global pandemic and foreign attacks on our elections.
Continuing on this course is unsustainable for America. For Coloradans, the task before us is defeating Sen. Cory Gardner, one of the chief lieutenants of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Colorado’s highest-profile enabler of Donald Trump.
The events of the past several weeks have shown that Gardner and his powerful backers in Washington will not simply concede this seat. Before one ad was aired in the Democratic primary, Gardner’s backers have trained all their fire on John Hickenlooper. Democrats would be foolish to deprive Gardner of his least desired opponent.
But the case for choosing John Hickenlooper as the Democratic nominee is not merely a question about electability. His record of over 16 years of public service has touched almost every facet of life in Colorado, so much so that we often take it for granted.
Hickenlooper followed an unlikely path to his candidacy for the Senate. His first campaign of any sort was his longshot run for Denver mayor at age 51.
Although his leadership style has a reputation for being casual and sunny, Hickenlooper’s career through two terms as our governor is a story of perseverance. John lost his father at a young age. His mother was widowed twice. And like so many people who came to Colorado looking for a fresh start and a better life, John had to pick himself up and start over after losing his job as a geologist in the oil crash of the 1980s. He learned how to write a business plan from a library book and opened one of the first brewpubs in the country, leading the revitalization of downtown Denver in the process.
His surprise landslide win for Denver mayor captured the imagination of the state, which he leveraged to bring about change. He organized the mayors of the Denver suburbs — Republicans and Democrats — to build FasTracks. He established the Denver Preschool Program so that every Denver child could access a quality Pre-K education.
In his first term as governor, John Hickenlooper would guide the state out of the Great Recession, mourn with families after the Aurora theater shooting, and lead the recovery after historic wildfires and floods.
Under John Hickenlooper, Colorado emerged stronger as the number one economy in the country. Along the way, he expanded Medicaid and reduced Colorado’s uninsured rate by nearly two thirds. He called a special session on civil unions before the Supreme Court legalized marriage equality. He signed ASSET into law while the DREAM Act stalled in Congress. He called for and passed universal background checks on private gun purchases.
And while the energy wars in our state have escalated, Hickenlooper implemented President Obama’s Clean Power Plan in Colorado, which Donald Trump has tried to unravel.
Hickenlooper’s talent for bringing people together is something that’s often dismissed in this polarized age, but it happens to be an underappreciated ethic he brings to every job he’s held. Largely on his own initiative, and against the gridlock of a divided legislature, he established a new workforce development program, using nonprofit dollars and public collaboration, to help the next generation of job seekers match their skills in the labor market. And despite the political risks of tackling water issues in Colorado, Hickenlooper led a coalition to draft the first statewide water plan, the funding for which voters just approved with Prop DD.
In his last years in office, John again put those talents to work on behalf of the people when he rallied a bipartisan team of governors working to save the Affordable Care Act — while Cory Gardner was working in Washington to repeal it.
Simply put, there are few politicians in Colorado, from any party, who can match Hickenlooper’s record and personal story. Sometimes in life and in politics, issues are complicated. However, the decision for the election next November is an easy one.
We believe our friend John Hickenlooper can carry our party’s banner and will make our state proud. We urge our fellow Coloradans to support him.
Signed,
Lucia Guzman, Former Colorado State Senator
Terrance Carroll, Former Colorado Speaker of the House
Rhonda Fields, Colorado State Senator
Roy Romer, Former Colorado Governor
Ken Salazar, Former Interior Secretary and US Senator
John Salazar, Former Congressman
Wilma Webb, Former State Representative
Wellington Webb, Former Denver Mayor
Al Yates, Former President of Colorado State University
