“I’m not cut out to be a senator,” Demcoratic candidate John Hickenlooper said in February. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images 2020 elections Hickenlooper faces buzz saw if he drops out to run for Senate Colorado Democrats currently running for Senate are signaling Hickenlooper wouldn't clear the field.

John Hickenlooper cracked the door open to a potential Senate bid last week — but it looks like many Democrats back home in Colorado have moved on.

The former two-term governor would have scared off potential rivals earlier this year, but it’s doubtful now that he could clear the field of Democratic challengers who’ve been in the trenches for months already.


Nearly a dozen Democrats are running in Colorado, which is seen as the party’s best opportunity to flip a GOP-held seat, and there is a top tier of roughly five candidates. They’ve spent months courting supporters and raising money, and few would immediately step aside for Hickenlooper, according to conversations with several candidates, aides and a half-dozen Democratic operatives in the state.

“I don't think that he is thinking about getting into this race,” said John Walsh, a former U.S. attorney and one of the Democratic candidates, who said he’s spoken to Hickenlooper recently. “I think his focus is on Iowa.”

Hickenlooper has consistently said he’s focused on the presidential race and has no interest in challenging vulnerable Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, a stance he has reiterated multiple times this week. Peter Cunningham, a Hickenlooper spokesperson, declined to comment on the Senate race. "He's running for president," Cunningham said.

But several recent moves have stoked speculation that he’s eyeing a run for Senate. Hickenlooper met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last week, CNN reported and an aide to Hickenlooper confirmed. A Democratic operative last week purchased web domains related to a Hickenlooper Senate bid. And over the weekend, Hickenlooper said in a radio interview that he’d “never ruled out anything,” a comment that sparked buzz back home.

“I’m not sure people necessarily get out of the race if he decides to run,” said Doug Friednash, a former chief of staff to Hickenlooper. “But he's got a favorable matchup with Sen. Gardner, and I think that's what catches the attention of national Democrats. ... They see him as an incredibly strong candidate who can raise money and instantly be a formidable opponent.”

Still, while many Democrats see him as a formidable opponent against Gardner, his success in the primary is not guaranteed. Former state Sen. Mike Johnston already has $2.6 million in cash on hand, and former ambassador Dan Baer has more than $1 million. Two other candidates — Walsh and former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff — have war chests in the high-six figures. They’ve already carved out endorsements and strategies to guide them over the coming months, whether Hickenlooper runs or not.

“We’re scaling up," said an aide to one of the campaigns, requesting anonymity to speak frankly. "We’re not playing wait-and-see here."

“He’d have to prove his mettle,” said an adviser to another Democrat in the race.

In each case, the candidates already running are aiming to fill different lanes and find arguments to separate from the crowded field — and potentially from Hickenlooper.

“At every level in the campaign there is real momentum for us,” said Johnston, who not only outraised his rivals last quarter — he also outraised Hickenlooper's presidential campaign. Johnston said he plans to roll out new policies in the coming months to continue to separate himself from the field. He brushed off questions about Hickenlooper as "distractions."

Walsh, the former U.S. attorney, said the questions about Hickenlooper are divorced from the reality of his presidential aspirations and his executive mindset. Walsh has promoted himself as a political outsider and pragmatic problem-solver in the race, and added that it would be a "great honor" to earn the former governor's endorsement.

Several Democrats in the state point out that while Hickenlooper remains popular, he has never faced a Democratic primary challenge, and the base of the party in the state has moved to the left since he was last on the ballot. Hickenlooper, a bipartisan, business-friendly governor, has run as a pragmatic moderate in the presidential race, decrying socialism and some liberal priorities such as the Green New Deal and "Medicare for All." Some Democrats say that opens him up to trouble in a primary contest.

“I think there is certainly room to the left of him,” said one veteran Colorado Democrat, who requested anonymity to speak frankly.

Romanoff has most aggressively filled that lane in the primary so far, touting his position as the only candidate supporting both the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, as well as endorsements from several hundred local officials.

“I’d be glad to earn Gov. Hickenlooper’s endorsement as well,” Romanoff said in a statement.

POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Hickenlooper has panned the idea of dropping out to run for Senate in the past. He's even said publicly that being in the Senate was a poor fit with his interests and experience.

“I’m not cut out to be a senator,” Hickenlooper said in February. “Senators don’t build teams. Senators sit and debate in small groups, which is important, right? But I’m not sure that’s my — I’m a doer. That’s what gives me joy.”

Another complicating factor for Hickenlooper: Colorado has never elected a woman to the Senate, and many Democrats are eager to rectify that next year. Alice Madden, a former state House leader, and Angela Williams, a state senator, are both running. Jena Griswold, the secretary of state, formed an exploratory committee recently as she mulls a campaign.

"Ultimately it's up to John to decide what job he wants to run for, but I am putting 100 percent of my efforts toward becoming Colorado's first female senator and true clean energy champion,” Madden said in a statement.

A larger field of competitors could benefit Hickenlooper, splintering any progressive animosity or opposition to him and giving him a clear path as a frontrunner. Many Democrats expect the field to naturally winnow in the coming months, and the difficult process for getting on the ballot in Colorado will likely limit the eventual primary field.

One national Democrat, who works with Senate races and requested anonymity to provide details, said polling for the race from late July showed Hickenlooper at around 60 percent in a potential primary, with little change after testing negative messages against him. "It's no surprise there are folks trying to scare him out of the race," this Democrat said.

Several Democrats believe a decision from Hickenlooper could happen in the coming weeks. He is a long shot to make the stage for the next presidential primary debate, though the polling and fundraising qualifying period doesn't end until Aug. 28.

If he were to enter the Senate race, according to multiple Democrats, the initial fundraising quarters would be a key test for whether he would be able to run ahead of the rest of the field. Democrats in the state expect other candidates to push in the third and fourth quarter of this year to increase their fundraising to keep pace with the former governor. If he significantly outraises the field through the end of the year, it could change the dynamics quickly in his favor.

Some Democrats argue Hickenlooper has damaged his standing back home during his presidential run, with one strategist likening a possible Senate bid to a “consolation prize.” Others say the governor remains as popular as ever.

“I think progressives will never like him, but I think the people that are not on Twitter and on Facebook do like him a lot,” said one Democratic strategist in Colorado. “I think he would handily win a primary.”