Candidate Profile: John Hickenlooper, U.S. Senate

The 2020 election is heating up in Colorado and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Eyes are primarily focused on the presidential election, but voters will also decide the outcome of state representative, senate and judicial seats.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

John Hickenlooper is running for U.S. Senate.

Age: 68
Party affiliation: Democratic Party
Family: Married to Robin Pringle Hickenlooper and father to Teddy
Occupation: Geologist, Brewer and Small Business Owner, former Denver Mayor and Colorado Governor
Previous elected experience: Denver Mayor and Colorado Governor
Family members in government: No

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Health care. COVID-19 has put the challenges of health care in our country in stark relief. We have seen the importance of protecting access to affordable health care to those with pre-existing conditions (like Coronavirus) and the disparate impacts it has had on communities of color.

Senator Gardner wants to roll back protections for 2.4 million Coloradans with pre-existing conditions - that’s 50 times the population of Littleton! It would be disastrous for Coloradans and our economy.

Instead, we need to expand access to care and lower costs by cutting down the price of prescription drugs, ending the practice of surprise medical bills, and investing in expanding mental health and substance misuse recovery services while strengthening community health centers. Through these efforts and others, I will work towards equitable, affordable, accessible health care for all Coloradans.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

The 2020 election will be the most important election of our lifetime. In just the last six months, a global pandemic accelerated across the globe, Americans took to the streets to fight for racial justice, and Coloradans watched in horror as wildfires ravaged communities across the state. In these turbulent times, we need leadership in Congress who will take action and fight for Colorado. Instead, Senator Gardner has caved to Donald Trump, who he stands with 100 percent of the time. Senator Gardner ran for office saying he wouldn’t be afraid to stand up to his own party — but instead he rolled back protections for public lands, played politics with our health care during a pandemic, left unemployment insurance to run dry during a Senate recess he said would be “unfathomable” to take without passing COVID-19 relief, and stood by as President Trump denied climate change while wildfires threatened our state. As Senator, I will always put Colorado first and work across the aisle to get the job done.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I’m running for Senate because we need to start getting things done in Washington. As mayor and governor, I worked with both parties to make sure we were delivering for the people of Colorado. Getting things done involves working together with people who you may not always see eye to eye with and making compromises. Instead of focusing on our differences, I want to come to the table and find the areas where we can agree. When I was Mayor of Denver, we brought together Democratic, Republican, and Independent mayors from across the metro area to make a massive expansion to our public transit system. As Governor, we were able to work on a bipartisan basis to expand Medicaid and get health care to 500,000 more people in our state. Too often in Congress, we’ve seen politicians throw up their hands and blame partisan gridlock for failing to get the job done. I want to help change that.

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?

Until a vaccine becomes universally available, we need to work to keep the virus at bay. To do so, Congress must provide additional support so that the state and local governments, school systems, hospitals, and small businesses that have been overwhelmed by this pandemic can begin to rebuild. We need to immediately reinstate and extend additional unemployment insurance for the thousands of Colorado workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. For our 630,000 small businesses and the 1.1 million Coloradans they employ, the stakes could not be higher. We must accelerate our efforts to enable small businesses to keep workers on payroll and give our smallest small businesses the tools they need to succeed. This summer, Senator Gardner said it was “unfathomable” to go on recess without passing additional COVID relief, yet that’s exactly what he did.

How will you address the calls for racial justice and police reform?

The United States has a long history of racism, segregation, and legalized oppression based on skin color. The economic disadvantages associated with race are varied and persist to this day. Any form of discrimination, either overt or covert, has no place in our state or country. We must ensure all people have access to quality education, a strong social safety net, family-sustaining jobs, and physical security. I am committed to working hand-in-hand with communities of color to design economically just reforms that make an impact on the legacy of inequality that has plagued our country for generations. Bills such as the Justice in Policing Act would change the culture of law enforcement to build trust between our communities and police officers and ensure we are taking a comprehensive approach to accountability.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

Climate change is the existential challenge of our time, and it is something Coloradans have seen firsthand. From wildfires to floods, extreme weather events pose a risk to our health, safety, and economy. Coloradans understand the importance of environmental stewardship and clean air and water. Senator Gardner has shamefully rolled back protections for our clean air and water and even voted to put a coal lobbyist in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency. As Senator, I will work to transition our country to a 100% renewable energy economy as quickly as possible, enforce stricter standards on methane pollution and other harmful emissions, accelerate the development of carbon-free energy generation like wind and solar technology, reinvent America’s transportation system, and develop our workforce with laser-like focus on green-job training.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Colorado - and our country - is going through a tough time right now. Thousands of families have lost loved ones, hundreds of thousands of Coloradans have lost their jobs, and businesses have shuttered for good. I’m running for Senate because I believe that by coming together and focusing on rebuilding stronger than before, we can pull through. When I was governor we went through some tough times too — the Great Recession, unprecedented wildfires, historic floods, and mass shootings. I want to work with my fellow Coloradans to once again build back stronger and more resilient than before.