Dem State Assembly: Hick Takes the Stage

Businessman, beer-lover, cheapskate, local, problem solver, unifier.

That’s how John Hickenlooper was positioned Saturday morning at the Democratic State Assembly: a loyal Coloradan who’s fiscally responsible and business-focused. Wearing a zebra-print-accented suit, the current Denver mayor and candidate for governor proved that he’s not the average Joe.

“Your candidate for governor has always been a zebra of a different stripe,” he said.

Hickenlooper discussed his history as a unifier, especially in Colorado’s FasTracks project, and as a businessman who ran a successful company for years. His vision of Colorado is one of economic potential and business entrepreneurship and fully funded educational systems, from preschool to college. “We want to make Colorado a beacon of higher education,” he said. Hickenlooper spoke of running a positive campaign, but also talked about the differences between himself and his potential Republican adversaries.

“We are interesting in campaigning on building Colorado up and not tearing people down,” he said.

And with that, Hickenlooper was nominated as the Democratic candidate for governor of Colorado.

“It’s time to giddy-up,” he said, with the excited crowd roaring.