TAPPING OUT

John Hickenlooper Ends 2020 Presidential Bid, Gives Senate Bid ‘Serious Thought’

The two-term Colorado governor announced Thursday he is ending his presidential campaign and considering a Senate bid instead.

John Hickenlooper formally bowed out of the 2020 race for the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday. “Today, I’m ending my campaign for president,” the two-time governor of Colorado said in a videotaped statement. “But I will never stop believing that America can only move forward when we work together.”

The microbrewery owner and lawmaker announced his candidacy in March and has suffered a series of setbacks, including a lack of campaign funding and backlash after his recent admission that he took his mother to see a pornographic movie. Hickenlooper added on Thursday he seriously considering a run for the Republican-held Senate seat in Colorado that is up for election in 2020—a key pickup target in the Democrats’ strategy to try to retake control of the Senate.

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