Sen. John Hickenlooper says his last race for office will be in 2026

DENVER (KDVR) — Former Colorado governor and current U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper said Thursday that he will run for office for the last time in 2026, saying there are plenty of figures who would fit Colorado’s political roles well.

Hickenlooper, who is in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention, told FOX31 that his plan all along has been to hold office for two terms because of his long-held belief in senator term limits. He was elected senator in 2020, and the job has a six-year term.

“I said six months ago that I was definitely going to — I mean, I love this job, I love being in the mix, love the responsibility of trying to deal with the biggest problems and challenges facing this country and our state, but you shouldn’t do it forever,” Hickenlooper said. “I wouldn’t be in politics if you didn’t have term limits.”

Hickenlooper, who served two terms as Denver mayor, noted that he was preceded in that job by Wellington Webb. He said Webb was doing a “good job” as mayor of Denver and said he would have continued for a few more terms if it was possible.

“If there’s one thing we learned last night (at the DNC), it’s that there’s a deep bench nationally,” Hickenlooper said. “People like Pete Buttigieg and John Shapiro from Pennsylvania, these are young leaders rising up.”

Hickenlooper said Colorado’s bench of Democratic players is also deep, pointing first to U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, the House assistant minority leader; U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen; and U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo.

“I think there’s gotta be some sort of processing forward,” Hickenlooper said. “I love the job, I think we’re doing a good job, but there’ll be a time to hang up the spurs and get back to a little slower life.”

Hickenlooper on Harris

Hickenlooper also discussed the DNC, where Vice President Kamala Harris is set to accept the Democratic party’s presidential nomination on Thursday night. The senator said Harris has “grown so much” in the past four years and said he met her a few times in Iowa on the campaign trail.

“She’s spent the last four years meeting world leaders, meeting some of the most successful activists in the country, and she’s clearly grown as a person,” Hickenlooper said. “We’re not going backward, we’re going to go forward: She’s talking about the ability to well, freedom.”

Hickenlooper said Harris’ plan will provide citizens with the freedom to work hard and in return be able to make a living and “get ahead.”

“I think she’s going to show a really strong, positive alternative,” Hickenlooper said.

Hickenlooper has a track record of bipartisanship and advocated for politicians to compromise and work diligently, no matter who is elected to be president.

“I’ve spent a lot of the last three and a half years building relationships with some of the best Democratic senators that exist, but also with some of the, I think, most reasonable and thoughtful Republican senators who don’t buy into all the MAGA, all of that rhetoric, and they’re willing to sit down, listen to the other side and compromise.”

Hickenlooper advocated for sincere conversations among politicians and willingness to compromise in an effort to help promote democracy.

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