Hickenlooper hasn't 'ruled out' possible Senate bid
Former Colorado Gov. John HickenlooperJohn HickenlooperGun control group rolls out first round of Senate endorsements The Hill’s Campaign Report: Republicans go on attack over calls to ‘defund the police’ Hickenlooper ethics questions open him up to attack MORE (D) said he may still consider running for Senate in 2020 if his standing in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary doesn’t improve.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reports the governor said he would be a “fool” to continue his long shot presidential bid if he doesn’t see a change in polls.
ADVERTISEMENTThe comments were made in an interview with Sirius XM’s Chris Frates on Sunday.
When pressed by Frates regarding a potential Senate run, Hickenlooper reportedly said, “I’ve never ruled out anything.”
He added that he’s “still 100 percent right now focused on being president.”
Hickenlooper has been polling between 0 and 1 percent in the crowded primary field. He has not met the Democratic National Committee’s threshold to qualify for the September debates.
Despite his failure to gain traction in the presidential primary, Hickenlooper is widely recognized as a strong candidate to take on Colorado’s Republican Sen. Cory GardnerCory Scott GardnerSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Interior faces legal scrutiny for keeping controversial acting leaders in office | White House faces suit on order lifting endangered species protections | Lawmakers seek investigation of Park Police after clearing of protesters The Hill’s Campaign Report: Republicans go on attack over calls to ‘defund the police’ MORE as Democrats try to flip the Senate. He is one of several presidential candidates many Democrats have said should run for Senate and Colorado, Arizona and Maine are seen as the most competitive states for Democrats to pick up.
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Hicknelooper has previously dismissed speculation over a potential Senate run.
“I don’t think that’s my calling,” he told reporters in July. “If I think of what God wants me to do, if there’s a beam of light coming down from heaven, what it’s illuminating for me is taking the things I’ve done, putting teams of really unique individual skills, and putting those teams together so that we really take on the big challenges of this country and of this world.”
At the time, Hicknelooper even acknowledged that his staffers told him he’d be a “lock” to defeat Gardner.
A Hickenlooper campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.