Never quite hitting more than 1 percent in any national poll, former two-term Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has officially dropped out of the 2020 race, slimming the Democratic field to just over two-dozen.
Two debates and many trips to early primary states like Iowa and New Hampshire later, Hickenlooper is the most recent Democrat to depart. California Congressman Eric Swalwell exited the race after the first Democratic debate in Miami.
In a video message posted on YouTube Thursday afternoon, Hickenlooper said many Coloradans want him to open up a Senate run. The state is key stomping grounds as Democrats try to take over the majority in the Senate come 2020. He told supporters he intends to "give that some serious thought."
A recent poll shows Hickenlooper could have a real shot at a 2020 Senate nomination. He is favored by 61 percent of Democratic primary voters, according to a poll from Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group. His rival in the race would be Sen. Cory Gardner (R) who has been listed as occupying one of the most vulnerable seats in Congress.
After Hickenlooper's announcement Thursday, Colorado Senator, and still-standing 2020 presidential candidate, Michael Bennet released a statement that said, "[John Hickenlooper] provided a valuable voice in this primary, bringing the ideas and solutions he successfully championed in Colorado to the national debate."
Bennet is also struggling in the polls and has yet to qualify for the third round of Democratic debates in Houston.
Since the inception of Hickenlooper's 2020 run, his campaign has faced an uphill battle. According to a report from POLITICO in early July, staffers said the campaign raised just over $1 million in the second quarter with 13,000 donors, making it nearly impossible to qualify for the third debate. At that point, five staffers had departed the campaign.
And who could forget the boos Hickenlooper got after he decried socialism in America at the California Democratic Convention, saying "If we want to beat Donald Trump and achieve big progressive goals, socialism is not the answer."
Hickenlooper caught up with Cheddar after that event, and backed up his decision to call out socialism saying, "I think that the Democratic Party is a big tent, and I've always loved that, but, I do think it's important that we draw a clear line and differentiate ourselves that we're not socialists, that we're not supporting massive expansions of government."
So, who knows what is next for the craft beer enthusiast turned "progressive pragmatist," but it definitely is not President.
Many U.S. consumers say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for holiday gifts in recent months, according to a a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A contributing factor is the unusually high import taxes the Trump administration put on foreign goods. While the worst-case consumer impact that many economists foresaw from the administration’s trade policies hasn’t materialized, some popular gift items have been affected more than others. Most toys and electronics sold in the U.S. come from China. So do most holiday decorations. Jewelry prices have risen due to the cost of gold.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
