This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at coloradosun.com.
Incumbent John Hickenlooper on Tuesday fended off a primary challenge from a progressive state lawmaker to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
The Associated Press called the race for Hickenlooper at 7:36 p.m. Tuesday, when he was leading state Sen. Julie Gonzales by nearly 15 percentage points.
Hickenlooper is expected to face Republican state Sen. Mark Baisley in the general election. Baisley was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Hickenlooper, 74, is finishing up his first term in the U.S. Senate, after he ousted Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in the 2020 election. Hickenlooper previously served two terms as governor of Colorado and a little less than eight years as the mayor of Denver. Prior to that, he was a geologist in the oil and gas industry and a bar and restaurant owner.
Gonzales, 43, has been a state senator since 2019. Before that, she worked as a community organizer and at an immigration law firm.
Her challenge to Hickenlooper was among a wave this year of younger, progressive candidates taking on more established Democratic politicians. The new candidates tapped into anti-incumbent sentiment among Democratic voters that focused on the ambition of the party’s ideas and the strength of its fight against President Donald Trump and his allies.
But Gonzales’ campaign never really built momentum. She struggled to fundraise — her campaign brought in $869,000 through June 10, compared with the $10 million Hickenlooper has raised so far this cycle — and reach voters across the state as a result.
Hickenlooper laid low throughout the campaign, refusing to appear at forums and debates with Gonzales, instead riding voters’ familiarity with him through the primary race.
Hickenlooper has often positioned himself as a bipartisan dealmaker, talking about his friendship with Republican politicians and the work it takes to quietly win their support against Trump’s wishes.
“They’re in a tough spot,” Hickenlooper said of his Republican colleagues in May as he visited Denver Health to hear about how Republican-backed policies would impact healthcare. “They’re being threatened with these frontal assaults and attack ads in their reelections if they don’t support the president 100%. And yet, many of them realize these are people’s lives.”
Gonzales, who called herself an “insurgent progressive” when launching her campaign, criticized Hickenlooper as too timid in his approach and too willing to sign off on Trump appointees to important positions in government.
“Go-along-to-get-along, poll-tested incrementalist politics have not made Coloradans’ lives better,” Gonzales said in an interview with The Colorado Sun ahead of her campaign launch. “Those politics have not delivered affordability, accountability or just, like, everyday, concrete policy change for Coloradans.”
On the issues, the two candidates shared much in common. Both said they support dismantling U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, raising the minimum wage and capping prescription drug prices.
Gonzales, though, said she supports a Medicare for All single-payer health care system, while Hickenlooper favored more modest reforms like a public health insurance option that competes in the market with private plans.
Gonzales said she supports a ban on fracking for oil and gas, while Hickenlooper said, “I don’t think it’s the solution. I think the solution we need is more wind and solar.”
This is a developing story that will be updated.
