Ex-presidential candidate John Hickenlooper to run for Senate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, who dropped out of the 2020 Democratic presidential race last week, said on Thursday he would run for a Senate seat in the state instead.

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Hickenlooper, 67, who is popular in Colorado, has been urged by numerous Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, to challenge incumbent Republican Cory Gardner for his Senate seat.

“I’m running to give Colorado’s priorities and values a voice in Washington,” Hickenlooper said on his website.

“Right now, we’re represented by a senator who works to undo our progress by voting 99% of the time with Donald Trump and going along with (Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell’s obstruction and partisan political games.”

Hickenlooper was among several Democrats in a large 2020 field who struggled with low opinion poll numbers and faced calls to run, instead, in other competitive races.

Washington state Governor Jay Inslee withdrew from the race on Wednesday, cutting the number of Democrats remaining in the race to 22. A source close to Inslee said he intends to seek a third term as governor.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Joseph Ax; editing by John Stonestreet and Bernadette Baum)