John Hickenlooper says 2026 reelection campaign will be his final Senate run

Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper will not pursue a third term should he win reelection to the U.S. Senate in 2026, his campaign confirmed Wednesday.

Hickenlooper, a Democrat who first won election to the Senate in 2020, first told Punchbowl News about his plans Wednesday and said he would only serve two terms. He told Colorado reporters last year that he intended to run for reelection in 2026.

A campaign spokesman confirmed the senator’s plans to The Denver Post and declined to comment further, beyond pointing to previous statements Hickenlooper made endorsing term limits.

Should Hickenlooper, 72, win a second term in 2026, he will be 80 when his seat will next be up in 2032. In response to a Post question last year about the age of key congressional leaders, Hickenlooper said he supported a two-term limit for U.S. senators (neither chamber of Congress has any such limit).

Before serving two terms as Colorado governor, Hickenlooper was the mayor of Denver. He comfortably unseated Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020, two years after leaving the governor’s office. Before announcing his Senate run, he briefly campaigned for president in 2019.

Read the full story from our partners at The Denver Post.

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