Former state Sen. Mike Johnston, who was the leading money raiser in the crowded Senate Democratic race with $3.4 million raised and $2.6 million in the bank, has suspended his campaign. Mr. Johnston, a former gubernatorial candidate, indicated he is simply “not willing to run the kind of negative race needed” to defeat ex-Gov. John Hickenlooper for the Democratic Party nomination.
Clearly part of the enticement package for former Gov. John Hickenlooper to enter the US Senate race was getting national party support despite being in a field with 13 other Democratic candidates. On Friday, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee officially endorsed Mr. Hickenlooper, just two days after he officially entered the Senate race. Obviously, the party leaders are “all-in” with Hickenlooper, and it is likely we will see a highly competitive Hickenlooper-Sen. Cory Gardner (R) general election campaign.
The long process for former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper to end his presidential campaign and convert into a Senate candidacy has finished. Yesterday, Mr. Hickenlooper, despite earlier saying the Senate would not suit him, declared his candidacy. He has 13 Democratic opponents, but some of those may withdraw. The eventual nominee faces vulnerable Republican Sen. Cory Gardner. Early polling gives Hickenlooper a large lead, but Gardner is arguably the Republicans’ best Senate campaigner.
The aforementioned Emerson College poll (8/16-19; 1,000 likely CO registered voters) sees former Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) strongly leading incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner (R) if the ex-state chief executive and now former presidential candidate were to enter the 2020 statewide race. According to the Emerson findings, Mr. Hickenlooper would lead Sen. Gardner, 53-40%, obviously well beyond the margin of any polling error.
The same sample also returns poor numbers for President Trump. All five top Democrats would exceed majority support against the President, with former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Mayor Pete Buttigieg each leading Mr. Trump, 55-45%. A new Emerson College poll (8/16-19; 403 likely CO Democratic primary voters) finds Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) topping the Democratic presidential field in the Centennial State. While Sen. Sanders leads, it is by the smallest of margins, just one point over former Vice President Joe Biden. The ballot test finds a 26-25-20-13% split among Sanders, Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), respectively. South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg trails substantially, polling only at 5% just one point over New York City businessman Andrew Yang.
Colorado Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Arvada), who announced his candidacy for Governor in 2017 only to withdraw shortly afterward and seek re-election to his House seat, announced yesterday that he will not run for Senate in 2020. Like so many others in the Democratic establishment, he then pledged his support for former Gov. John Hickenlooper and encouraged him to run for the Senate. Incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner (R) is seeking re-election. Currently, twelve active Democrats are vying for the party nomination.
In a move that has been building for the last several weeks, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper became the second candidate to end his 2020 presidential effort. With virtually no way to qualify for the September debate and barely registering on any poll, Mr. Hickenlooper yesterday announced that he would end his national campaign. He stopped short, however, of declaring a bid for the Colorado Senate seat, a race that would pit him against first-term Sen. Cory Gardner (R).
Early polling finds Mr. Hickenlooper with an overwhelming lead in the Senate Democratic primary, even with 13 announced opponents. While his entry into the statewide race is probable despite him earlier saying serving in the Senate would not be for him, we will have to wait a bit longer to see it actually happen. On the heels of Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) earlier this week announcing that she won’t become a Senate candidate, the Garin Hart Yang Research organization released their Colorado Democratic primary poll. The survey was conducted over the 7/25-28 period, but the number of respondents was not released.
In any event, former Gov. John Hickenlooper, who is still in the presidential contest but under pressure to exit and join the Senate race, leads the field with a whopping 61% followed by former state Senator and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Mike Johnston who just touches double digits at 10% support. Former state House Speaker and ex-Senate and congressional candidate Andrew Romanoff polls at 8%, with Ms. Griswold only registering 6% preference. A move that perhaps best indicates that former Gov. John Hickenlooper will soon exit the presidential campaign and return to Colorado to enter the US Senate race occurred yesterday. After forming a Senate exploratory committee, Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) yesterday said she would not become a candidate. This is significant because, of the 14 announced candidates or those who filed exploratory committees, Ms. Griswold is the only one who has won a statewide office, and arguably had the best chance of winning the crowded primary as the race currently stands.
The Republican incumbent, Sen. Cory Gardner, is considered to be one of the most vulnerable Senators seeking re-election in 2020. The talk about former Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) potentially leaving the presidential race and returning to run for the Senate doesn’t appear to be dissuading any of the 13 Democratic candidates already in the race. In fact, another just announced her candidacy. Yesterday, Open Door Ministries founder and National Immigration Forum organization consultant Michelle Ferrigno Warren announced that she, too, will join the Democratic nomination battle.
The winner faces first-term Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in the general election for what promises to be one of the most competitive races in the nation. |
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