Politics

Dem Senator Seeking Reelection Vows To Retire After A Second Term

Former Governor John Hickenlooper speaking with attendees at the 2019 California Democratic Party State Convention at the George R. Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California.

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.

“I’m only going to do two terms,” Hickenlooper told Punchbowl. “I said it first here. Two-term limit. Oath of conscience.”

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.

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.

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.