Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
CO-SEN: Leading Democrat ends Senate bid now that Hickenlooper is in
Source: Associated Press
Leading Democrat ends Senate bid now that Hickenlooper is in
By NICHOLAS RICCARDI
September 3, 2019
DENVER (AP) — A leading candidate and the top campaign fundraiser in the crowded Democratic U.S. Senate primary in Colorado bowed out of the race Tuesday, the first casualty of former Gov. John Hickenlooper’s late entry into the contest.
Former state Sen. Mike Johnston, 44, had led the field by raising $3.4 million since launching his campaign in January against Republican Sen. Cory Gardner. That’s more than Hickenlooper raised in his presidential bid, but Johnston announced he was ending his campaign rather than battling against the best-known Democrat in the state.
“The nature of the campaign changes. Now you have to run a campaign that’s ‘Why not John Hickenlooper?’” Johnston said in an interview, noting that it’d be negative and expensive to do so. “I couldn’t lead a campaign that was built on that.”
Hickenlooper, 67, dropped his presidential bid last month and joined the Senate race after repeatedly saying he wasn’t interested. He and his strategists had been hoping the former governor’s universal name recognition and lingering warm feelings among Colorado Democrats would quickly winnow what they viewed as an unruly and unmanageable primary. Johnston is the first Democrat to step down — others running include former diplomat Dan Baer, former Colorado House leaders Alice Madden and Andrew Romanoff, state Sen. Angela Williams and former U.S. Attorney John Walsh.
To date, the field has reacted coldly to the entry of Hickenlooper, who is older than the rest of the field and governed as a moderate. ...
-snip-
By NICHOLAS RICCARDI
September 3, 2019
DENVER (AP) — A leading candidate and the top campaign fundraiser in the crowded Democratic U.S. Senate primary in Colorado bowed out of the race Tuesday, the first casualty of former Gov. John Hickenlooper’s late entry into the contest.
Former state Sen. Mike Johnston, 44, had led the field by raising $3.4 million since launching his campaign in January against Republican Sen. Cory Gardner. That’s more than Hickenlooper raised in his presidential bid, but Johnston announced he was ending his campaign rather than battling against the best-known Democrat in the state.
“The nature of the campaign changes. Now you have to run a campaign that’s ‘Why not John Hickenlooper?’” Johnston said in an interview, noting that it’d be negative and expensive to do so. “I couldn’t lead a campaign that was built on that.”
Hickenlooper, 67, dropped his presidential bid last month and joined the Senate race after repeatedly saying he wasn’t interested. He and his strategists had been hoping the former governor’s universal name recognition and lingering warm feelings among Colorado Democrats would quickly winnow what they viewed as an unruly and unmanageable primary. Johnston is the first Democrat to step down — others running include former diplomat Dan Baer, former Colorado House leaders Alice Madden and Andrew Romanoff, state Sen. Angela Williams and former U.S. Attorney John Walsh.
To date, the field has reacted coldly to the entry of Hickenlooper, who is older than the rest of the field and governed as a moderate. ...
-snip-
Read more: https://apnews.com/baed98b616254188ae27d05f08c7122e