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February 24, 2019 10:43 AM UTC

Duran, Hick Won't Run for Senate; Duran to Primary DeGette

  • 23 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE #2 (6:00 pm):


—–

UPDATE (5:34 pm): Word is out that Crisanta Duran will in fact challenge Diana DeGette in CO-1. Duran may announce her campaign as soon as tonight.

—–

News worth noting, as Tweeted from the 2020 presidential campaign trail by Axios’ Alexi McCammond:

Gov. John Hickenlooper (D).

Although it’s of course not a legally binding contract, former Gov. John Hickenlooper’s apparent ruling out of a run for the U.S. Senate to take on vulnerable incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner is a significant development. A not-insubstantial contingent of local Democrats had at least quietly hoped for Hickenlooper to reconsider his bid for the presidency in favor of what would have been a very strong challenge to Sen. Gardner. At the same time, the difference between legislative power, even in the august body of the U.S. Senate, and the kind of executive authority that one has as governor and certainly as President of the United States may not be something Hickenlooper wants to “step down” from–and we understand that.

The wisdom of this decision will be self-evident.

In other significant 2020 U.S. Senate news, another on-paper strong challenger in the upcoming Democratic Senate primary is ruling herself out as well–former House Speaker Crisanta Duran, as the Colorado Independent reports:

Former Colorado House Speaker Crisanta Duran, long seen as a favorite to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020, is rethinking that path and is engaged in serious talks about a Democratic primary run against longtime U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s 1st Congressional District, according to more than a half a dozen sources with knowledge of those talks…

Sources say she has been wrestling with her decision for weeks. While Gardner is considered vulnerable, the Democratic field taking shape against him promises a tough and expensive primary — and Duran appears to have soured on the prospect of jumping in.

A primary battle against DeGette may be no less bruising, however…

Now, we can’t speak confidently one way or the other to the viability of a primary challenge against Rep. Diana DeGette, who has done much in recent years to shore up her support after acquiring something of an aloof reputation.  But it’s reasonable to assume that Former House Speaker Duran would have been a contender in the 2020 Democratic Senate primary, especially in the absence of any field-clearing candidates–and by that we mean officials who have served in Congress or a statewide elected office.

Assuming neither of these candidates reconsider their decision, this is obviously good news for the existing slate, in particular former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff whose elected experience is similar to Duran’s. There remains a real possibility of a decisive new Democratic contender entering the U.S. Senate race over the spring and summer of this year, but a window exists now for Romanoff to make his case against a field of less-competitive primary opponents.

As for aspirants as of now aspiring elsewhere, good luck to them.

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23 thoughts on “Duran, Hick Won’t Run for Senate; Duran to Primary DeGette”

  1. Any hint on what Perlmutter is thinking? (He probably wants to avoid what happened in 2018 when he got into the race for gov, out of the CD 7 race, then out of the governor's race and back into the CD 7race.)

  4. Ouch.  Duran v. DeGette will soak up money and energy better used against Gardner.  DeGette will — and should — win.

    I'd love to see hick run for Senate, which he'd win easily.   Andrew Romanoff is a fine person and would be a great senator.  But I am not sure he's a good candidate.

  5. That's bad news about John "Drinkin Freakin Frackin Fluid" Hickenlooper.  He would have been a slam dunk against Gardner.  I guess Perlmutter would be the next best candidate to beat Gardner, but of course, he hasn't run a statewide race.

     

     

    1. Diana DeGette’s shelf life doesn’t go south of Hampden, west of Sheridan or east of Monaco.

      She may be good for Denver but she isn’t statewide material.

        1. Degette is smart enough to know that. Duran could win the 1st if she campaigns with a grassroots style. Degette's weakness is constituent services – they've been awful in the past, don't know how they are now.

          Duran could appeal to younger, Latino/a voters. Though some of us remember her backstabbing of Senator Aguilar and are wary.

          There probably isn't a dime's worth of difference between the two women on policy.

           

          1. Looks a bit like Aguilar remembers – according to her Facebook page, "While I am glad to see a Latina enter the national races I don’t think Diana DeGette is the person we need to spend our energy trying to replace." I mean, that's nowhere near the worst shade we'll see thrown this cycle, but it's certainly not an endorsement.

          2. I don’t mind, in the least, any challenger to DeGette.  IMO she’s to Denver what Lamborn is to Colorado Springs. Far, far too easy to be complacent and to ignore individual constituents, and just phone it in in those circumstances. I’m unable to say what it is she actually does for Denver or Colorado.

            Let her and her staff actually work for and earn their Congressional salaries and perks every now and again . . . 

  7. Completely befuddled by Duran. If DeGette had barely survived her challenge in 2018, ok. But she won by a mile and probably will again. Duran might as well run for mayor Of Denver.

    For Senate, Kerry Donavan ?

    Neguse ?

  8. I don't understand the calculus: 

    DeGette is liberal, progressive and has 12 successful races in basically the same district. Against a pretty thoughtful, more progressive candidate in the 2018 Democratic primary, she earned 90,000+ votes, winning by "only" a 36% margin.

    DeGette is not Crowley-level oblivious nor is the district a "majority-minority" population different than her representation. (Ballotpedia says the district is "Race: 74.3% White, 8.6% Black, 3.4% Asian, 1.2% Native Am.   Ethnicity: 29% Hispanic").  She's on the verge of senior leadership in the House, likely to become Whip. 

    Duran's justification is "a new generation of leadership."  Does anyone see something in the District 1 electorate which indicates a thirst for "a new generation," something which approaches a winning margin?

        1. frown

          I was going to say that Duran cannot possibly get to the left of Diana DeGette.

          This is not an AOC move. This is a You-Have-Been-There-For-More-Than-Twenty-Years-And-It-Is-Time-For-You-To-Retire move.

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