Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper

John Hickenlooper touted his background as a former governor, saying no sitting senator since 1900 has ever defeated an incumbent president – it’s always been governors or former governors.

Hickenlooper, a geologist who was laid off in the 2009 recession, became the mayor of Denver in 2003 to later be elected governor. It had been 120 years since a Denver mayor was elected to be the governor of Colorado.

Hickenlooper highlighted his state’s accomplishments, including universal preschool, creating methane regulations, and investing into broadband connectivity in rural towns.

“By the end of next year we’ll have broadband in every town in Colorado,” he said.

Waukee resident Tom Mueller doesn’t have a set candidate, and said he would vote for the person most likely to beat President Trump. He said Hickenlooper was someone not really on his radar before today.

“He seems like he would be somebody to consider,” he said. pic.twitter.com/ZX7OizatFj

— Daily Iowan Politics (@DIpolitics) August 10, 2019

Hickenlooper said Colorado was the first state to address climate change, and said Trump is reducing the number of U.S. diplomats and turning away from international engagements in climate change conversations. He condemned Trump’s trade policies with China, saying neither side comes out any better after a tariff war.

He said the U.S. economy will never succeed in anything if the federal government doesn’t reinvigorate rural economies.

On Trump’s tax policies, Hickenlooper agreed that corporate taxes should have been lowered, but said he “wouldn’t of gone that far.”

“The wealthy individuals got the tax cut and [the middle and working class] got the tax boot,” Hickenlooper said.

“States are the laboratory of democracy,” Hickenlooper said when he spoke about supporting interns getting a $15 minimum wage. He said states should look at the policy.

— Daily Iowan Politics (@DIpolitics) August 10, 2019

He also said that governors are some of the only politicians who get things done, and that out of the long list of Democratic candidates, he’s the only one who’s done what the others are talking about. He specifically pointed to increasing access to health care and addressing climate change.

Hickenlooper answered a question at the end of his speech about legalizing marijuana, and he said in terms of the states who have legalized it, the only spike in users they have seen is with senior citizens – which was met with laughs and applause from the crowd. He said that he would work to decriminalize marijuana on the federal level.