John Hickenlooper 2020: 9 Things To Know

DENVER, CO – By Sarah Kleiner, The Center for Public Integrity. John Hickenlooper, the former Colorado governor and Denver mayor who once was hailed by a Washington Post columnist as one of the “most un-Trumpian politicians out there,” is bringing his progressive-yet-small-business-friendly outlook into the crowded race for the Democratic nomination for president.

Hickenlooper today filed president campaign paperwork and said he will run against heavyweights in his party — some with far more name recognition — with an eye toward taking on President Donald Trump in 2020.

“I’m running for president because we’re facing a crisis that threatens everything we stand for,” Hickenlooper said in a campaign launch video as a grainy photo of President Donald Trump flashed on screen. “As a skinny kid with Coke bottle glasses and a funny last name, I’ve stood up to my fair share of bullies. Standing tall when it matters is one of the things that really drives me.”

Jennifer Rubin, a columnist for the Washington Post mused in September that Hickenlooper is the anti-Trump, in part, for his attention to detail, his bridge-building tendencies and his aw-shucks demeanor. Governing magazine said Hickenlooper, a former geologist and brewpub owner, “has spent his entire public career trying to lead from the center, usually with a great deal of success.”

READ MORE at The Colorado Independent.