Hickenlooper Wins Democratic Senate Primary In Colorado

John Hickenlooper has won Colorado's primary election in the Democratic race for the U.S. Senate seat against Andrew Romanoff, according to the Associated Press. Hickenlooper is set to take on Republican incumbent Cory Gardner in November.

Hickenlooper is backed by national Democratic Party leaders, and Republicans launched attack ads against him because Romanoff was viewed as an easier candidate to defeat in November.

But Colorado voters have decided who will be in the November race.

“Thank you, Colorado," Hickenlooper said Tuesday night after his nomination was announced. "It’s going to take all of us together to beat Cory Gardner and bring about the change this country so desperately needs. And when you and I beat Cory Gardner, flip the Senate, and change Washington, America will roar back stronger than ever. Let’s get to work.”

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Results for the U.S. Senate seat — Democratic candidates:

"I’m deeply grateful to everyone who supported our grassroots campaign; your friendship and your generosity mean the world to me," Romanoff said. "I just called John Hickenlooper to congratulate him — and to pledge my full support in his race against Cory Gardner. Please join me in doing the same."

Hickenlooper, Colorado's former governor, has been widely criticized for some decisions he made during his state primary campaign. Earlier in June, he failed to appear at a hearing on a complaint that he violated the state's gift ban. He only testified after the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission held him in contempt for defying the orders to appear at the hearing. The commission then found he had violated Colorado's ethics law by accepting free travel while he was governor.

Hickenlooper was then criticized in late May for his definition of Black Lives Matter during a Colorado Racial Justice online forum.

“Black lives matter means that every life matters," Hickenlooper said.
Many Colorado Democrats said his answer showed a lack of education about the movement and equal rights. Hickenlooper apologized and said he "tripped" in his explanation.

Romanoff answered the same question during the forum, but instead clarified that Black Lives Matter "is not the same as saying 'white lives matter' [and] 'all lives matter.'"

"It is instead to recognize the racism that is baked into our nation from its founding documents," Romanoff said.

“To me what ‘Black Lives Matter’ means is that this country, even before its founding, has engaged in the systemic oppression of African-Americans brought here in chains, subjected to the crime of slavery, abused ever since, lynched, murdered in every way, we have chosen as a nation to deny the essential humanity of our African-American brothers and sisters,” Romanoff said.

Hickenlooper also had to apologize for a comment he made six years ago, in which he compared politicians to rowers "on an ancient slave ship." He made the apology after a video of his quip was tweeted by Denver School Board Director Tay Anderson. Anderson, a prominent civil rights activist and leader in the George Floyd protests, endorsed Romanoff.

"Hickenlooper hasn't been showing up for Black people until it becomes time for an election," Anderson said.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and several other prominent Black leaders however endorsed Hickenlooper. In a news release, Hancock said he's "been fortunate enough to see [Hickenlooper’s] work up close, uniting mayors across the Denver metro area to make FasTracks a reality, deliver affordable health care for people across the state and rebuild Colorado’s economy while honoring every Coloradan.”

“We need more leaders with strong executive experience who know how to get things done, and John is definitely that kind of leader," Hancock said.

Many political analysts have noted that Hickenlooper's unscripted style and his reputation as a "purple" Democrat is what helped him get elected as governor. The former brewpub owner was elected the mayor of Denver in 2003, and eliminated the city's $70 million budget deficit. He was then re-elected as mayor again in 2007.

Andrew Romanoff was a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008, serving as speaker from 2005 to 2008. He ran for the U.S. Senate seat in the 2010 election, but was defeated by Michael Bennet. Romanoff also lost a race against Republican Mike Coffman for the U.S. House of Representatives 6th district in 2014.

A new political group, Let's Turn Colorado Blue, launched a $1 million attack ad against Romanoff in the weeks leading up to the June 30 state primary. The ad, which came a day after Hickenlooper's apology for the 2014 "slave ship" comment, hit Romanoff where it hurts — his leadership on strict bills that opposed illegal immigration in 2006. Over the years, Romanoff has apologized for the bills.

In a statement, Romanoff hit back against the attack ads.

"After defying a subpoena and dodging 21 debates, Hick is now hiding behind desperate, dark-money attacks," he said. "It's time for his team to come clean: Coloradans deserve to know who's paying your bills and calling the shots."

Republicans threw their weight behind Romanoff, because he's viewed as an easier candidate to defeat in November. The National Republican Senatorial Committee launched attack ads against Hickenlooper in mid-June.

Many political analysts have pointed out that Colorado has shifted to the left over the past decade. Sen. Bernie Sanders won Colorado's Democratic presidential primary, and Romanoff's campaign has focused on single-payer health care and the Green New Deal. But the candidate has struggled to overcome his former losses.

"Inside the state of Colorado, I haven't lost yet, and Andrew hasn't won an election in 14 years," Hickenlooper said during a debate in mid June.

"They're not going to attack me for violating the state ethics law because I didn't," Romanoff replied.

Hickenlooper was found guilty of accepting a flight on a private plane to a USS Colorado naming ceremony. He was also found guilty of accepting a ride in a limousine to the Bilderberg meetings in Rome. Hickenlooper was fined $2,750 — twice the estimated cost of both trips.

How the candidates differ on policy

While Romanoff advocates for a single-payer health care system, Hickenlooper helped to implement the Affordable Care Act and stands behind it. Hickenlooper said that the larger the system grows, the lower the costs will drop and the quality will improve. Romanoff said there's no time to wait, and Coloradans need an immediate improvement in healthcare.

Romanoff called the New Green Deal the "heart of [his] campaign." The deal aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 and end the use of fossil fuels for energy by 2035. Hickenlooper supports a plan that supports the economy and job growth while aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050.

Romanoff said he believes in student loan forgiveness and free higher education; however Hickenlooper said that debt forgiveness should only be implemented on a sliding scale.