Colorado voters are preparing to choose between two longtime names in state politics to represent them in the U.S. Senate. Incumbent Republican Sen. Cory Gardner is facing off against former Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper for the seat.
The race is being watched closely across the country as Democrats seek to flip enough Senate seats to take control of the chamber, while Republicans hope to hold onto their majority.
In a campaign season like no other, the two veteran political figures are comparing their past political successes in both legislation and bipartisanship as they aim to show Coloradans why they’re best-equipped to represent the Centennial State for the next six years.
Both candidates have been major players in Colorado politics for many years; both also were elected to local positions before ascending to statewide roles.
Gardner, the 46-year-old incumbent from Yuma, calls himself a “common-sense conservative” and speaks frequently about his roots in Colorado’s eastern plains. He worked as legislative director for then-Sen. Wayne Allard before running for office himself.
Beginning in 2005, Gardner served in the Colorado House of Representatives before being elected to represent Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in Washington. He unseated the incumbent Sen. Mark Udall in 2014 and is currently wrapping up his first term in the Senate.
Hickenlooper, the 68-year-old challenger, was brought up in Pennsylvania but came to Colorado to work as a geologist in the 1980s. He then founded Denver’s Wynkoop Brewing Co. in 1988 and frequently cites his small-business experience on the campaign trail. Later, in 2003, Hickenlooper was elected mayor of Denver, a position he held for eight years.
He was elected governor of Colorado in 2010 and took office in 2011. He was re-elected in 2014 and then left the position in 2018 because of term limits. After leaving the governorship, Hickenlooper briefly ran for U.S. president before suspending his campaign and announcing his bid for the Senate.
Both candidates are seeking to build on successful political careers. On the campaign trail, they also have repeatedly flexed their records of bipartisanship and working with others to achieve legislative goals.
During his tenure in the Senate, Gardner has introduced several bills that were signed into law. One of the most significant, passed earlier this year, was the Great American Outdoors Act, a bill that passed both houses of Congress with bipartisan support and was hailed as a “holy grail” for conservationists.
The bill will help provide funding and support for public lands throughout Colorado and the rest of the nation. He also has introduced several other bills that have passed through Congress including most recently a bill intended to designate 988 as a national mental health crisis hotline.
Gardner also has built a reputation for bipartisanship during his time in the Senate. The Lugar Center, which rates bipartisanship based on the frequency with which legislators sponsor bills with colleagues from the other party, rates Gardner as the third most bipartisan member of the Senate. That bipartisanship has been helpful in Gardner’s legislative career.
“Every single one of them had bipartisan support,” Gardner said about the bills he has passed, “and that’s what you have to do to get things done. You have to work with people with all kinds of political beliefs ... to get the job done.”
Hickenlooper also garnered a reputation for working with others during his tenure as governor. For the majority of his two terms, Colorado’s General Assembly was under divided control, with one chamber controlled by Democrats and the other by Republicans. Because of that, much of the legislation that passed required bipartisan support.
The former governor’s supporters also point to his work across the state on projects such as the Colorado Water Plan – which sought to manage Colorado’s water and ensure it is conserved and used responsibly across the state – as a reflection of his work with people from both rural and urban counties across the state.
As governor, Hickenlooper oversaw strong economic growth and also the passage of various pieces of legislation. After the mass shooting in Aurora, he supported expanding gun control measures. He also expanded Medicaid in Colorado.
The candidates both acknowledge the need to develop and adjust to Colorado’s and the nation’s changing energy needs while also recognizing the effects of climate change. However, they offer slightly different visions for how to get there.
Gardner said he hopes to build on his Great American Outdoors Act in supporting outdoor recreation while maintaining jobs in the fossil fuel industry. On the campaign trail, the senator pitches himself as more dedicated to supporting oil and gas than his opponent but also has spoken in favor of renewable energy initiatives such as solar power being developed in Colorado.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, he has pushed in favor of America becoming energy-independent by decreasing energy consumption and supporting production from both renewables and fossil fuels; supporting economic growth in the energy industry is one of his stated priorities.
“I think we can have oil and gas, and we can have renewable energy and we can have recreation,” Gardner said. “That’s the balance that we have always been able to find in Colorado.”
He drew widespread praise from environmental groups for his Great American Outdoors Act, which provided permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, among several other provisions.
However, some environmental groups have criticized Gardner as overly sympathetic toward fossil fuel interests. They have cited his support of controversial Trump appointees like Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to positions working with public lands as a blemish on his environmental record.
Hickenlooper’s energy plan focuses heavily on responding to climate change. He wrote an op-ed in The Colorado Sun to tell voters about his climate plans and “growing our green economy.”
“Here in Colorado, we see the impact of climate change firsthand: from more wildfires to less snow, and higher temperatures to more respiratory illnesses,” Hickenlooper wrote.
He supports investment in renewable energy as well as increased innovation such as carbon capture technology used to reduce fossil fuel emissions. His campaign has also set the goal of reaching a net-zero level of emissions nationwide by 2050. The goal is in line with benchmarks laid out by Democratic Party leadership.
As governor, Hickenlooper strengthened Colorado’s environmental regulations but also served as a frequent mediator between environmental and oil and gas interests in the state. Outdoor recreation also grew rapidly during his time in office.
However, he has been criticized because of the negative impact increased environmental regulations could have on the people working in oil and gas in Colorado; a shift toward carbon neutrality could lead to the loss of the many jobs those industries provide.
Over the next few weeks through Nov. 3, millions of votes will be cast by mail and in person to determine which Coloradan will represent his constituents in the nation’s capital.
Both candidates have long resumes and have spent many months making their case to Colorado.
John Purcell is an intern for The Durango Herald and The Journal in Cortez and a student at American University in Washington, D.C.
