Politics

President Hickenlooper? No thanks, say Coloradans

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Greg Campbell Contributor
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Colorado Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper has consistently denied any interest in a presidential bid, despite persistent rumors to the contrary.

Now, Hickenlooper can point to polling data to help make his case that he’s not interested, if only because Coloradans wouldn’t vote for him.

A new poll, conducted by Colorado-based Ciruli and Associates, found that only 30 percent of Democrats and 19 percent of unaffiliated voters think Hickenlooper should run for president.

The news comes amid a long backdrop of both local and national speculation that he would make a strong contender.

At the beginning of the legislative session, when Democrats vowed to tackle the sorts of tough gun control legislation sought by President Barack Obama on the federal level, Politico included Hickenlooper as among Democratic leaders “who [aspire] to a national leadership role.”

A variety of news outlets — from the Huffington Post and the New York Times to local publications like the Denver Post and 5280 Magazine — have run speculative articles in recent months and years, all despite Hickenlooper’s consistent efforts to quell the rumors.

Even his ex-wife helped fuel the conjecture, after Hickenlooper revealed that she offered to remain married to him if he decided to try for the Oval Office.

If the poll is accurate, it would have been for naught; not even voters in his own party believe he could win the Democratic nomination.

The poll does show some Republican support for a “Hickenlooper 2016” campaign, with 13 percent of Colorado GOP voters in favor. But the reasons why aren’t especially flattering.

“Those thirteen percent are mostly a mixture of a few Republican fans and a few who believe their party will nominate someone even more unacceptable,” the poll states. “Finally, there are some who just want to get him out-of-state to reduce the damage and open the governorship up.”

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