Hickenlooper drops out of presidential race

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Grant Tetmeyer/Iowa State Daily

Then-presidential candidate and former governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper answers questions from moderators Kathie Obradovich and Kay Henderson at the 2020 Presidential Candidate Forum hosted by AARP Iowa and the Des Moines Register July 15 at the Olmsted Center at Drake University. Hickenlooper attended the forum with fellow Democratic candidates Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and former Vice President Joe Biden.

Jake Webster

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper ended his bid for the presidency Thursday with a video posted to YouTube.

“A little over six months ago, I announced my run for president. In almost every regard, this journey has been more exciting and more rewarding than I ever imagined ⁠— although, of course I did imagine a very different conclusion,” Hickenlooper said describing his slightly less than six-month long campaign.

The former Colorado governor traveled extensively throughout Iowa, visiting the Story County Democrats Soup Supper in February, and a multitude of campaign stops in the Des Moines Area and Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridor.

However, Hickenlooper’s message to Iowans was met with widespread disinterest from voters, as they flocked to better-known candidates such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

In a poll by Change Research for Iowa Starting Line released Thursday, Hickenlooper registered 0% support among likely Iowa caucus-goers. Warren led the field with 28%, followed by Biden and Sanders tied at 17% and Sound Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg with 13%.

Hickenlooper’s campaign had struggled to take off in a crowded field of Democratic candidates. Only one Democratic National Committee approved poll found him with more than 1% support among the Democratic primary electorate.

Politico reported in July Hickenlooper’s senior staff urged him to drop out of the race for president and seek election to the state’s U.S. Senate seat up for election in 2020, currently held by Republican Sen. Cory Gardner.

In the video announcing his withdrawal from the race for president, Hickenlooper said he has “heard from so many Coloradans who want him to run for the United States Senate … I intend to give that some serious thought.”