Democratic Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado announced on Wednesday that he will retire after serving a potential second term, according to Punchbowl News.
The 72-year-old freshman senator said that he plans to seek reelection in 2026, but has vowed to make this potential second term his last, Punchbowl reported. Hickenlooper previously served as the mayor of Denver from 2003 to 2011 and the governor of Colorado from 2011 to 2019 before stepping into the Senate in 2021. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Watchdog Demands Senate Ethics Probe Democrat’s ‘Clear Violation’ Of Stock Filing Law After DCNF Investigation)
“I’m only going to do two terms,” Hickenlooper told Punchbowl. “I said it first here. Two-term limit. Oath of conscience.”
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 06: U.S. President Barack Obama jokes with National Governors Association Chairman Gov. John Hickenlooper (C) (D-CO) and Vice Chairman Gov. Gary Herbert (R) (R-UT) in the Oval Office of the White House January 6, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Hickenlooper previously ran for president during the 2020 election, but dropped out in August 2019 about six months after announcing his candidacy. After Hickenlooper’s exit, there were still 23 Democratic candidates vying for the top of the ticket.
Hickenlooper has previously been criticized for various alleged ethics violations and late financial disclosures. An ethics commission ruled in 2020 that he had accepted gifts in the form of a private jet flight to Connecticut and a limousine ride in Italy in 2018. (RELATED: ‘If I Really Wanted To Piss Them Off’: Dem Senator Says Office Received Thousands Of Calls From Voters About Biden)
The ethics commission fined Hickenlooper a total of $2,750 for the two violations, with $2,200 being for the flight and $550 for the limousine ride, according to The Hill. (RELATED: Dem Who Wants To Ban Congressional Stock Trading Recently Disclosed Having Millions In Microsoft Options)
The Senator also disclosed several asset trades potentially worth over $1 million in 2022 that averaged over 300 days after the filing date. Multiple watchdog groups claimed that the filings were a clear violation of the STOCK Act, which requires lawmakers to publicize any transactions over $1,000 within 30 days of receiving notice and within 45 days of the transaction’s date.
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