John Hickenlooper

Hickenlooper was born John Wright Hickenlooper Jr. on February 7, 1952, in Narberth, Pennsylvania; his father, John Hickenlooper Sr., was a steel mill executive.⁠[1]

He attended Wesleyan University, receiving a B.A. in 1974 and a master’s degree in geology in 1980.⁠[1][2]

From 1981 to 1986 Hickenlooper worked as an exploration geologist for Buckhorn Petroleum, and he was laid off during the mid-1980s recession.⁠[1][3]

In 1988 he opened Wynkoop Brewing Company, Colorado’s first brewpub, in Denver’s Lower Downtown (LoDo). On August 24, 2007, he sold his stake in Wynkoop Brewing and related restaurants to business managers and employees.⁠[1][3]

Hickenlooper was elected mayor of Denver in 2003 and served until 2011.⁠[1][3]

His Senate office website lists FasTracks transit expansion, universal pre-K for 4-year-olds, police reforms and the creation of a sustainability office among the work of his time as mayor.⁠[3]

Hickenlooper served two terms as governor of Colorado, from January 11, 2011, to January 8, 2019. On December 4, 2012, he was named vice chair of the Democratic Governors Association.⁠[1][4]

On March 20, 2013, he signed three gun-control measures, including universal background checks for gun sales. His Senate office website also lists expanded health care coverage, limits on climate pollution and a regulatory framework for recreational marijuana among the work of his governorship.⁠[1][3]

On March 17, 2016, he launched Skillful with Allen Blue and Zoe Baird to help people without college degrees find skills-based jobs.⁠[1]

On March 4, 2019, Hickenlooper announced a run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination in a video titled “Standing Tall.” He ended the bid on August 15 and announced a Senate candidacy on August 22.⁠[1]

On June 30, 2020, he defeated Andrew Romanoff 58.7% to 41.3% in the Democratic primary, and on November 3 he defeated Republican incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner with 53.5% of the vote.⁠[2]

In 2025–2026 Hickenlooper served on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Energy and Natural Resources; Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; and Small Business and Entrepreneurship committees, and was ranking member of the subcommittees on Consumer Protection, Technology, and Data Privacy and on Employment and Workplace Safety.⁠[2]

As a senator he co-sponsored bills on small business investment, Western wildfire risk and water supplies in the Colorado River basin.⁠[4]

In August 2024 he said that his 2026 reelection campaign would be his final Senate run and that, if reelected, he would not seek a third term; he supports a two-term limit for U.S. senators.⁠[5]

On June 30, 2026, Hickenlooper defeated state Sen. Julie Gonzales in the Democratic Senate primary; the Associated Press called the race soon after 8:30 p.m. He did not debate Gonzales during the primary, saying, “She knows where I stand, I know where she stands.”⁠[4]

In his primary victory speech he said, “But I never lost, never lost faith in all of you.”⁠[4]

In the November 3 general election Hickenlooper defeated Republican state Sen. Mark BaisleyMark BaisleyMark Baisley is an American Republican politician, aerospace engineer and software company executive who served in the Colorado House of Representatives from 2019 to 2023 and has served in the Colorado Senate since 2023. He was the Republican nominee in Colorado’s 2026 U.S. Senate election and lost the November 3 general election to John Hickenlooper.Open the full entry; other candidates included Forward Party nominee Bob Chew. The Associated Press called the race for Hickenlooper within minutes of the polls closing that night.⁠[6][7]

His campaign had raised about $11 million through mid-October.⁠[6]

Senator John Hickenlooper: Official website: https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/ (opens in a new window).⁠[3]

X: Public account: https://x.com/SenatorHick (opens in a new window).⁠[3]

YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU6pcq-AZA9wnmIPBj6ePwQ (opens in a new window).⁠[3]