CO Senate: John Hickenlooper (D)
PROFILE
About Hickenlooper:
John Wright Hickenlooper was named for his father, who passed away when he was only eight years old but continues to have a lasting influence on Hickenlooper’s life.
Hickenlooper started out as a geologist, but after being laid off, he considered a variety of career options. Ultimately, he decided to open a restaurant in Lower Downtown, a then-neglected warehouse district in Denver. The result was Colorado’s first brewpub. He then started seven more small businesses.
When the Denver Broncos planned to let a corporation remove the words “Mile High” from the Broncos’ new taxpayer-financed stadium, Hickenlooper led a grassroots campaign to keep the name. He then decided to run for mayor.
In his first campaign Hickenlooper was elected mayor of Denver. As mayor, Hickenlooper worked to expand mass transit, reduce crime, tackle climate change, and improve educational opportunities for Denver students.
In 2010, Hickenlooper ran for governor and won. As governor, he brought people together across the aisle and across the state to get things done. Now, Hickenlooper is running for Senate.