ASSOCIATED PRESS Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper speaks during a forum on June 21, 2019, in Miami.

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has dropped out of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, he announced Thursday.

“Today, I’m ending my campaign for president,” he said in a videotaped statement. “But I will never stop believing that America can only move forward when we work together.”

The announcement came as he appeared unlikely to qualify for the September primary debate.

Hickenlooper may turn to the Senate in 2020, as he is considered a strong candidate to run against Republican Sen. Cory Gardner.

“I’ve heard from so many Coloradans who want me to run for the United States Senate,” he said. “They remind me how much is at stake for our country. And our state. I intend to give that some serious thought.”

In a crowded field of candidates, Hickenlooper was notable for his loud opposition to the term “socialism” and for his unusual path to politics. Before his two terms as Denver mayor ― the office he held before becoming governor ― Hickenlooper worked in the private sector, first as a geologist for oil companies, and later opening a brewpub in Denver.

His two terms as governor were marked by passing progressive policies in a purple state, though during the 2020 Democratic primary his positions were squarely moderate relative to some others in the left-leaning field.

Since announcing his presidential bid in March, Hickenlooper has failed to gain traction. He was not the only moderate candidate in the fie, often overlooked by those who might gravitate toward former Vice President Joe Biden or Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). In fact, he wasn’t even the only candidate from Colorado, with Sen. Michael Bennet also in the running.

At the California Democratic Party State Convention in June, Hickenlooper was loudly booed for saying that “socialism is not the answer.”