Bernie Sanders won't endorse John Hickenlooper in Senate race

[Uncle Joe]

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders won’t weigh in on Colorado’s hotly contested Democratic Senate primary, he told The Denver Post in an interview Friday — declining to endorse former presidential rival John Hickenlooper, who is now running for a U.S. Senate seat.

“I will do whatever I can to make sure that a Democrat beats Senator Gardner,” Sanders said, referring to Colorado’s junior senator, who’s up for re-election next fall. But “I’m going to sit out the primary and let the candidates explain their views to Colorado and hope the best candidate wins. That’s a decision for the people of Colorado, not me.”

Sanders spoke to The Post in advance of his first campaign stop in Colorado of the Democratic presidential primary season. Sanders will speak Monday evening at Civic Center Park.

Sanders won Colorado’s 2016 caucus and has a slim lead among the state’s Democrats, according to an early public poll. Colorado is expected to be a hotbed during the 2020 Democratic primary. Voters here will cast their vote March 3, also known as Super Tuesday. Other candidates who have made stops in Colorado so far include Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris.

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/09/06/bernie-sanders-john-hickenlooper-endorsement/

[HerbChestnut]

1. Sensible.

[Uncle Joe]

5. I believe so.

[curlyred]

2. Andrew Romanoff

More of a progressive than Hickenlooper but either would be better that that slimebag Gardner.

[OilemFirchen]

3. Good for Governor Hickenlooper.

Whatever his faults, he certainly doesn't need that albatross hanging around his neck come election time.

[efhmc]

4. Hickenlooper probably would rather have a REAL Democrat support him,

anyway.

[Otto Lidenbrock]

6. poll today shows hickenlooper at 60%

probably doesn't need an endorsement

[BlueMississippi]

7. This will help Hickenlooper immensely nt

[jalan48]

8. Isn't Hickenlooper the guy who drank fracking fluid to prove it was safe?

[Autumn]

11. Yes he did. He also threatened to sue cities and towns that ban oil and gas fracking in city

limits.

[jalan48]

12. Wow. Nothing says I'm an environmentalist like drinking fracking fluid, and he's running as a

Democrat? Hard to believe.

[Autumn]

16. He's always been very pro fracking.

[Celerity]

26. He also compared progressive Democratic ideas to Stalin and Marx

and said universal health coverage (not just single payer) was dangerous for Americans.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287105357

[guillaumeb]

9. "...a decision for the people of Colorado..."

A good move. And Sanders promises to work for the eventual nominee.

Recommended.

[Autumn]

10. Thank you Bernie, smart decision. Hickenlooper is causing division in the state Democratic Party

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/08/27/colorado-democratic-party-hickenlooper-dscc/

A decision by national Democrats to throw their support behind John Hickenlooper in Colorado’s U.S. Senate race sparked an intense email discussion among state Democratic Party officers over the weekend, with allusions to Nazism, criticisms of Hickenlooper and calls for formal opposition.

The emails offer a window into an intraparty conflict that is sure to spill out in public for weeks and months to come as Democrats debate who should be their nominee to take on Republican Sen. Cory Gardner.

“Hickenlooper has made it clear that he neither understands nor cares about the true problems in our country,” wrote Dana Torpey-Newman, chair of the Douglas County Democratic Party, “and I object to being told that I, as a party chair, am unable to take sides in a primary, but the DSCC … is able to put a thumb on the scale and force out our candidates who actually comprehend the deeper roots of the societal problems we face.”

On Friday, a day after the former Colorado governor and Denver mayor joined the Senate race, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee formally endorsed him over 11 other Democratic candidates in the contest to face Gardner, a Yuma Republican. Halisi Vinson, executive director of the Colorado Democratic Party, emailed county party officers about it Saturday, prompting impassioned responses.

[Uncle Joe]

13. Thank you for the addition Autumn.

[Autumn]

15. You're welcome Uncle Joe.

[TwilightZone]

17. The article makes it rather clear that he didn't cause the division.

Torpey-Newman is the one claiming a conspiracy is afoot and generating the discussion.

The DSCC's job is to win elections. They obviously (and probably correctly) believe that Hickenlooper has the best chance to pick up that particular seat. The polls would seem to agree with them.

[highplainsdem]

18. +1,000,000

[W_HAMILTON]

28. The DSCC doesn't have any role in running the primary...

...therefore why should they not endorse a candidate? It's no different than the Justice Democrats or some other similar PAC endorsing a candidate.

Also, LOL @ that county chair for the nerve of saying they are unable to take sides in a primary in the same statement where they bash Hickenlooper. How oblivious can you be?

[comradebillyboy]

14. Did Hickenlooper ask for his endorsement? nt

[Nanjeanne]

19. So glad. Lots of Dem candidates. Romanoff appears to have a very good chance.

[Tarheel_Dem]

21. Romanoff has a very good chance against who?

[gldstwmn]

23. His attempts to run a major campaign

And win have been unsuccessful. They spent a lot of money trying to get him elected to the House and couldn't do it. If he couldn't win that he ain't gonna win a Senate seat

[Tarheel_Dem]

24. Thank you. I couldn't find any polling to suggest that Romanoff "had a good chance" at anything.

[bearsfootball516]

27. Does he? Hickenlooper is polling at a massive advantage over everybody.

[gldstwmn]

30. Yup. Gardner is done and he knows it.

He won't even have a town hall.

[crazytown]

22. The Governor know as 'Frackenlooper'

who drank fracking fluid on TV? Why would you expect Sanders to support him?

[JI7]

25. Sanders gave the right answer here . Support whoever ends up the nominee .

[Joe941]

29. That was a wise decision by bernie.

[susanr516]

31. Bernie made a wise decision

Let the voters in the Colorado Democratic Primary choose which candidate will represent them in the General Election.