John Hickenlooper is seen as a dark horse for the presidency, in part because he doesn’t have the national profile of other Democratic candidates, but he and his team hope that his record of achievement in Colorado, including his ability to work with Republicans, will set him apart.
“Some of his biggest supporters have been prominent statewide Republicans,” said Max Potter, Hickenlooper’s former senior media advisor and speechwriter.
That ability to appeal to Republicans has led Hickenlooper to have a national reputation as a moderate executive.
Hickenlooper believes that there is a portion of the Democratic primary electorate that is hungry for someone who is able to defeat Trump without getting into the gutter with him.
“I think there is a silent majority,” Hickenlooper told CNN in January, “a new silent majority that wants to elect people that get stuff done, stop fighting, stop hurling invective and roll up their sleeves and start working together.”