Six Democratic women who are running for the Colorado Senate have sent a letter to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee asking they rescind their endorsement of former presidential candidate John Hickenlooper.
The letter was signed by Angela Williams, Dr. Diana Bray, Lorena Garcia, Alice Madden, Dr. Stephany Rose Spauld, and Michelle Ferrigno Warren. Hickenlooper, who has served as the state’s governor, entered the race shortly after dropping out of the crowded 2020 presidential field.
.@Hickenlooper is running against Cory Gardner — the most vulnerable Republican up in 2020! If we want to end the gridlock, cut the costs of health care and prescription drugs, and act on climate — we need to flip this #COSen seat. pic.twitter.com/9CMoF6ZlOF
— Senate Democrats (@dscc) August 23, 2019
“All of us, like many women in Colorado and across the country, have seen well-qualified women passed over for male candidates in the workplace time and again,” the candidates wrote. “Those of us who have run for office before have been told to ‘wait our turn’ and ‘don’t rock the boat’ more times than we care to mention. Now, the DSCC, by its endorsement, is implying that we should defer to a male candidate because you seem to believe he is ‘more electable.'”
The women said Colorado has yet to have a female senator “and one has to wonder if circumstances such as this have contributed to that unfortunate outcome.”
Before entering the state-wide race, Hickenlooper said he did not think he was “cut out” for the job. The other candidates criticized him for not wanting to embrace “progressive values” out of fear it would reelect President Trump.
“We hope the DSCC will give strong consideration to rescinding its endorsement, and allow Coloradans to decide the outcome of this primary campaign,” their letter concluded.
Whoever ends up winning the Democratic primary, they will be running against one-term Republican Sen. Cory Gardner.
