March 28, 2024

Colorado Gov’s Newton stop signals contentious 2020 race

“I personally think that someone who’s been a mayor or a governor from the center of the country might bring a different perspective, especially from the West. When you get west of the Mississippi, you look at life a little differently.”

This was Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s message Saturday as he visited the Jasper County Democrats headquarters in Newton on Saturday.

Almost two weeks ago, Jasper County Democratic Party Chair Michelle Smith received a phone call from Gov. Hickenlooper’s office asking if he could visit and rally volunteers during the final push before the Nov. 6 election. Newton was one of several stops on Hickenlooper’s Iowa tour.

“I’m excited to see what possibilities lie for the governor of Colorado coming up,” Smith said. “Everybody comes to Iowa first to get their feet wet to see if they’re going to run or not run for president. It’ll be interesting to learn more about him.”

Central Iowa, smack in the center of Middle America, knows the 2020 race for the White House is off the ground before the polls for midterm elections close.

Hickenlooper said his family has been discussing his run for the oval office for several months now, and his visit to Newton marks the third visit from a 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful since April. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon visited the Jasper County Democrats three weeks ago and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock stumped in Colfax with Democratic Iowa Secretary of Agriculture candidate Tim Gannon in April.

“There are probably going to be 20 Democrats (running for president in 2020), but most of them are from the east coast or the west coast,” Hickenlooper said. “Some of them are connected with Washington, D.C. They’re senators or congressional people.”

Hickenlooper visited Johnson County Friday and stopped in Des Moines to visit with Rob Sand, the Democratic candidate for state auditor, and Deirdre DeJear, the Democratic candidate for Iowa Secretary of State, followed by a conversation with a group at the World Food Prize Center.

Before his plane taxied down the runway Saturday afternoon, the Rocky Mountain governor also popped into Altoona.

For Hickenlooper, however, the key to a swath of blue falling over the country doesn’t sit on the coasts — it lies in the middle.

At first glance, Hickenlooper exhibits a just-like-you, small-business-owner persona. He talks about compromise, less bureaucracy and making government work.

“It’s not a very sexy campaign ornament, ‘good government,’” Hickenlooper joked.

But his speech at the Jasper County Democratic headquarters and a one-on-one interview later revealed he seems to be preparing Democrats for a fight.

“There’s probably never been a starker contrast in what Democrats stand for and what Republicans stand for,” Hickenlooper said. “The fact that 80 percent of Republicans are supporting someone who attacks the free press, attacks war heroes, attacks minorities, attacks immigrants, attacks the independent judicial system, attacks a free media, the very foundations of our government. That 80 percent of Republicans would support that is incomprehensible.”

In his office in Denver, Hickenlooper doesn’t allow his staff to say “Trump,” talk about his policy, tweets or “whatever he’s done to enrage us,” Hickenlooper said. “Don’t think it’s not intentional.”

Hickenlooper talked about promoting compromises between environmental groups and the oil and gas industry in Colorado and the 60 percent drop in Colorado’s teen pregnancy and teen abortion rates after he oversaw a government partnership with clinics and hospitals to provide long-acting, reversible contraception — solutions including IUDs and implants.

"Those are the kinds of things the Republicans will never do," Hickenlooper said to a room of people whose Republican governor proposed over-the-counter birth control last Wednesday. "They'll get caught up on some, who knows. They seem to find a way to make life worse for the people that have been left behind. I don't know why that is, but they'll figure out some way."

After circling back to environmental improvements, Hickenlooper continued his healthcare discussion.

“We’ve now had three years where our (healthcare) quality has gotten better, our outcomes are better, but for our Medicaid patients, the cost per person has been flat, so below than inflation,” Hickenlooper said. “Does that satisfy the Republicans? Oh no! You’ve gotta go out and check to make sure everybody’s working.”

When asked if he thought the divisive political climate was helpful or hurtful during this election, Hickenlooper gave a non-answer.

“I think a healthy debate is good. I think that attacking people — I’ve never done an attack ad in my whole life. I think that type of bitter rivalry that really, after the election, when you do attack ads, you’re not just attacking a candidate, you’re attacking everyone who believes in that candidate. After the election, it’s hard to get everyone together to compromise and make decisions and move us forward.

“No one party’s got all the answers. I happen to think the Democrats really do,” Hickenlooper continued. “But I also am a realist and recognize that the rest of the world doesn’t agree with that. Real progress occurs when you’re able to compromise. Maybe you don’t get everything done in a day, but you make progress, day in and day out, year after year. I think that’s the goal.”

Contact Phoebe Marie Brannock at 641-792-3121 or pbrannock@newtondailynews.com