DENVER (AP) — Colorado U.S. Senate candidate John Hickenlooper filed voter petitions with the secretary of state’s office Wednesday in hopes of qualifying for the Democratic Party’s June 30 primary.
The former two-term governor is in a crowded field of Democrats hoping to face Republican Cory Gardner in November. Gardner is considered one of the most vulnerable GOP senators seeking re-election because Colorado has become reliably Democratic in the age of President Donald Trump.
Hickenlooper dropped a presidential bid in August and joined a Democratic Senate race that includes former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff.
Major party candidates can either petition their way onto their respective primary ballots or garner enough votes to qualify through a process that begins with party caucuses on March 7 and concludes with state assemblies on April 18.
Successful petitioners need to present at least 1,500 valid voter signatures from each of Colorado’s seven congressional districts to qualify.
