SALT LAKE CITY — Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced Thursday that he will run for U.S. Senate in his home state.
Hickenlooper appeared in both Democratic presidential primary debates earlier this summer. He decided to drop out of the race last week.
But now he’s joining the Colorado race for senate.
“I’m not done fighting for the people of Colorado,” he said in his campaign video, titled “Not Done Fighting.”
Hickenlooper said he’s looking to battle Washington, D.C., over issues like preexisting conditions, prescription drug prices and public land disputes.
He said Colorado’s incumbent Republican Sen. Cory Gardner is playing games with President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, which, he said, hurts the people of Colorado.
“We ought to be working together to move this country forward and stop the political nonsense,” he said.
Hickenlooper may have a tough road to winning election in Colorado, according to The Hill. Gardner remains one of the more vulnerable candidates for reelection, with experts calling the state’s senate race a toss-up.
But Hickenlooper may not have secured victory yet.
“Though Hickenlooper will certainly enter the Senate race as a top-tier contender, particularly given his high name recognition from his eight years as Colorado governor, reports have surfaced that his standing may have taken a hit in the state over his failed White House bid as he enters a primary crowd that already includes roughly a dozen candidates,” The Hill reported.
And he’ll be entering a crowded field with candidates who have already received a decent amount of funding, according to The Associated Press.
“Hickenlooper would also be the oldest candidate in the Senate race, competing against politicians whose recent fundraising hauls have matched or exceeded the $1 million that Hickenlooper raised for his presidential bid in the second quarter of the year,” according to The Associated Press. “Some of the other Senate challengers have said they don’t intend to step aside even if the former governor runs.”