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.
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Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama says his new Cabinet will include an artificial intelligence “minister” in charge of fighting corruption. The AI, named Diella, will oversee public funding projects and combat corruption in public tenders. Diella was launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the government's public service platform. Corruption has been a persistent issue in Albania since 1990. Rama's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in May. It aims to deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, but the opposition Democratic Party remains skeptical.
