Sen. John Hickenlooper wins Colorado Democratic Senate primary over progressive challenger

Sen. John Hickenlooper has won Colorado’s Democratic Senate primary in his bid for re-election, NBC News projects, defeating state Sen. Julie Gonzales in what he has said will most likely be his final campaign for elected office.

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Hickenlooper, 74, a former governor, Denver mayor and brewery owner who flipped the seat for Democrats in 2020, will be 80 years old by the end of his next term if he wins the general election, as he is favored to do in blue Colorado.

He led Gonzales 57% to 43% with more than 80% of the expected vote tallied.

Gonzales, a former member of the Democratic Socialists of America, said in her launch video: “John Hickenlooper has been in office for over 20 years. I know we’re not fooled by his so-called commonsense approach.”

She spoke out against Hickenlooper’s Senate voting record, including votes to confirm 10 of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees, and criticized him for opposing “Medicare for All” despite having campaigned as a progressive.

Hickenlooper defended his record throughout the campaign, arguing that his ability to work across party lines has helped him deliver for Colorado.

It is not the first time Hickenlooper has faced — and defeated — a progressive challenger.

In his 2020 campaign for his first Senate term, he defeated former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff in the Democratic primary and went on to win the general election.

Hickenlooper vastly outraised and outspent Gonzales, with ads highlighting his efforts to oppose ICE funding and the sale of public lands. He also campaigned on protecting healthcare funding and working on affordability, as well as pushing back against the Trump administration.

Gonzales’ campaign focused primarily on “Medicare for All,” abolishing ICE and guaranteeing universal childcare and eldercare. Gonzales also campaigned with commentator Hasan Piker, appearing on his livestream.

Hickenlooper now advances to the general election to face state Sen. Mark Baisley, who was unopposed for the Republican nomination. Baisley had embarked on a run for governor before he switched to run for the Senate.

Democrats have sought to portray Baisley as too conservative for a Democratic-leaning state, pointing to his comments last year describing LGBTQ members in the state Legislature as being “in rebellion against the nature of God.”

Colorado has trended increasingly Democratic in recent election cycles, and it has not been part of the broader national discussions about the battleground this year.