DENVER — John Hickenlooper has refused to yield to pressure from his team to scrap his presidential campaign and instead run for a Senate seat in Colorado.

The former two-term Colorado governor is struggling to break through a crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates. He’s in the bottom tier of polling, hasn’t generated significant fundraising and is at risk of being eliminated from the fall debates.

The discussion about exiting the race was described by a Democrat familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal strategy. Politico first reported the conversations.

While Hickenlooper’s presidential campaign is facing steep hurdles, a Senate bid might not be much easier. A dozen Democrats have already announced challenges to Republican Sen. Cory Gardner. Two announced this week that they raised more than $1 million in the past quarter, more than Hickenlooper is thought to have raised for his presidential bid over the same period.

Hickenlooper, a brewpub owner-turned-politician, launched his White House campaign in March. The future of his candidacy is under scrutiny as his campaign undergoes a major shakeup.

Campaign manager Brad Komar and national finance director Dan Sorenson have left the campaign. Spokeswoman Lauren Hitt confirmed their departures and said she, too, will exit the campaign in the coming weeks.

The departures come after the close of the second quarter of campaign fundraising. Hickenlooper is expected to lag well behind the Democratic National Committee’s benchmark of 130,000 donors needed to qualify for the debate stage in September. He is one of many candidates who could fail to meet that threshold.

Hickenlooper has tried to establish himself as a leading moderate in the race, repeatedly warning Democrats they risk being tagged as socialists by tacking too far to the left.

But with several candidates, and many Democratic voters, embracing more liberal positions, Hickenlooper’s message — or at least the messenger — has failed to resonate. He was roundly booed last month at the California Democratic Party convention when he condemned socialism.

Hickenlooper’s team projected optimism about the future, announcing that the candidate had hired a new campaign manager, M.E. Smith.

Smith ran Sen. Bob Casey’s successful reelection campaign in Pennsylvania last year. She was Hickenlooper’s deputy campaign manager in 2014 when Komar ran the governor’s successful reelection effort amid a Republican wave.

At least one of Hickenlooper’s departing staffers was headed to a rival presidential campaign. Sorenson, the finance director, will join former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s campaign, O’Rourke’s team confirmed late Monday.

Sorenson’s departure had been in the works for some time. He previously notified the campaign that he intended to leave but stayed on until the end of the second fundraising quarter, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. </s> This post was originally published on this site

Political News Five key staffers leaving Hickenlooper campaign in major shakeup https://linewsradio.com/five-key-staffers-leaving-hickenlooper-campaign-in-major-shakeup/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/politics-news/

JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — At least five key aides to John Hickenlooper have confirmed they’re leaving his campaign or intend to do so in the coming weeks.

Brad Komar, campaign manager; Dan Sorenson, national finance director; Lauren Hitt, communications director; John Schueler, digital director; and Nolan Varee, New Hampshire political director are all moving on, decisions all confirmed to ABC News, which was the first to report the departures of Schueler and Varee.

The news comes on the heels of the first Democratic debate, at which the former Colorado governor’s middling bid wasn’t re-energized as was that of several key rivals. Polls after the debate said he failed to stand out on a crowded stage even after weeks of volleyed barbs with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., over socialism.

Perhaps more important, this shakeup comes the day after the close of the second quarter for campaign fundraising, making it especially telling that Hickenlooper’s finance director is among those on their way out.

Hickenlooper, not unlike several fellow 2020ers, was expected to be lagging behind the Democratic National Committee’s 130,000-donor benchmark required to participate in debates in September.

Sorenson confirmed he’ll be moving to Beto O’Rourke’s team as national finance director.

After Hitt told ABC News that “for personal and professional reasons, it made sense to be in Texas” for Sorenson, she confirmed she’d also be “transitioning out” very soon.

The other departing aides may be weighing offers from other campaigns, although it’s unlikely they’ll be following Sorenson en masse to O’Rourke’s, sources told ABC News.

The trail ahead may grow rockier for the Hickenlooper team as Brendan Koch, deputy finance director, also may be leaving the team, one of the five departing staffers told ABC News.

Sources close to the Hickenlooper campaign staff said this shakeup may be a “Hail Mary” pass, especially in the buildup to the next round of debates, a characterization with which departing aides didn’t disagree.

The campaign also just announced it’s hired M.E. Smith as campaign manager to replace Komar, who ran Hickenlooper’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign.

Serving two terms as governor of Colorado, including during the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, Hickenlooper touted a record of getting progressive things done in a purple state and boasted more moderate positions compared with much of a left-leaning 2020 field.

Hickenlooper has pledged to stay in the race for the long haul, standing tall for “all we believe in” and standing up “against all that divides us.”

As criteria for winning a spot on the debate stage ratchets up — along with the competition — it’s now an open question who remains standing alongside the former governor. </s> (Reuters) - Five senior advisers are leaving the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign of Democrat John Hickenlooper after staff urged the former Colorado governor to quit the race as his fundraising flounders, a source with knowledge of the situation said.

FILE PHOTO: Author Marianne Williamson and former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper debate during the second night of the first U.S. Democratic presidential candidates 2020 election debate in Miami, Florida, U.S., June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

Hickenlooper’s campaign confirmed the departures on Tuesday. On Monday, the candidate announced he was hiring M.E. Smith to succeed former campaign manager Bradley Komar.

The centrist former governor, one of 25 Democrats seeking the party’s nomination to run against incumbent Republican Donald Trump, would not quit, the source said.

Asked whether his staff were let go or quit, Hickenlooper, 67, told MSNBC on Tuesday that it was “a combination of the two - we felt that it was time to make a change.”

“I used to be in the restaurant business and it’s a little bit like putting a restaurant together. Sometimes you don’t quite get the right team in at the right time,” he said.

Staff members discussed the state of the campaign with Hickenlooper at a June meeting, advising him to find a graceful way to bow out of the November 2020 White House contest, said the source, who asked not to be named in order to speak freely.

The campaign has not commented on the June meeting or the fundraising figure, and did not make Smith immediately available to respond.

Hickenlooper brought in donations of $1.1 million the last three months, half of his haul in the first quarter of 2019, the source said. Rivals U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, announced $18 million and $24.8 million in donations, respectively.

Hickenlooper, who also served as mayor of Denver and made his fortune as a brew-pub owner, has sought to distinguish himself in the crowded Democratic field as a moderate who opposes what he calls the socialist policies backed by Sanders.

Hickenlooper’s campaign has yet to announce his fundraising for the second quarter, which ended on Sunday. Campaigns must submit reports for the quarter by July 15.

He positions himself as someone who as Colorado governor enacted progressive policies with a bipartisan approach.

Others leaving his campaign include finance director Dan Sorenson, who is going to work for the presidential campaign of former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke; communications director Lauren Hitt; digital director John Schueler and New Hampshire political director Nolan Varee. </s> Top members of former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s campaign are departing in a major shakeup as the brewpub owner-turned-politician tries to turn around his struggling presidential bid.

Campaign manager Brad Komar and national finance director Dan Sorenson have left the campaign. Spokeswoman Lauren Hitt confirmed their departures and said she, too, will exit the campaign in the coming weeks.

The departures come after the close of the second quarter of campaign fundraising. Hickenlooper is expected to lag well behind the Democratic National Committee’s benchmark of 130,000 donors needed to qualify for the debate stage in September — one of several candidates who could fail to meet that threshold.

Hickenlooper, who served two terms as governor of a Western swing state, has struggled to gain attention in the crowded Democratic field. He has touted moderate positions and repeatedly warned Democrats they risk being tagged as socialists by tacking too far to the left.

But with several candidates, and many Democratic voters, embracing more liberal positions, Hickenlooper’s message — or at least the messenger — has failed to resonate. He was roundly booed last month at the California Democratic Party convention when he condemned socialism .

Hickenlooper’s team projected optimism about the future, announcing that the candidate had hired a new campaign manager, M.E. Smith.

Smith ran Sen. Bob Casey’s successful re-election campaign in Pennsylvania last year. She was Hickenlooper’s deputy campaign manager in 2014, when Komar ran the governor’s successful re-election effort amid a Republican wave.

At least one of Hickenlooper’s departing staffers was headed to a rival campaign. Sorenson, the finance director, will join former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s campaign, O’Rourke’s team confirmed late Monday.

Sorenson’s departure had been in the works for some time. He previously notified the campaign that he intended to leave but stayed on until the end of the second fundraising quarter, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. </s> (Reuters) - Five senior advisers are leaving the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign of Democrat John Hickenlooper after staff urged the former Colorado governor to quit the race as his fundraising flounders, a source with knowledge of the situation said.

Hickenlooper's campaign confirmed the departures on Tuesday. On Monday, the candidate announced he was hiring M.E. Smith to succeed former campaign manager Bradley Komar.

The centrist former governor, one of 25 Democrats seeking the party's nomination to run against incumbent Republican Donald Trump, would not quit, the source said.

Asked whether his staff were let go or quit, Hickenlooper, 67, told MSNBC on Tuesday that it was "a combination of the two - we felt that it was time to make a change."

"I used to be in the restaurant business and it's a little bit like putting a restaurant together. Sometimes you don't quite get the right team in at the right time," he said.

Staff members discussed the state of the campaign with Hickenlooper at a June meeting, advising him to find a graceful way to bow out of the November 2020 White House contest, said the source, who asked not to be named in order to speak freely.

The campaign has not commented on the June meeting or the fundraising figure, and did not make Smith immediately available to respond.

Hickenlooper brought in donations of $1.1 million the last three months, half of his haul in the first quarter of 2019, the source said. Rivals U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, announced $18 million and $24.8 million in donations, respectively.

Hickenlooper, who also served as mayor of Denver and made his fortune as a brew-pub owner, has sought to distinguish himself in the crowded Democratic field as a moderate who opposes what he calls the socialist policies backed by Sanders.

Hickenlooper's campaign has yet to announce his fundraising for the second quarter, which ended on Sunday. Campaigns must submit reports for the quarter by July 15.

He positions himself as someone who as Colorado governor enacted progressive policies with a bipartisan approach.

Others leaving his campaign include finance director Dan Sorenson, who is going to work for the presidential campaign of former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke; communications director Lauren Hitt; digital director John Schueler and New Hampshire political director Nolan Varee.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.

Your guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales. </s> July 2 (UPI) -- The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper is going through a major shakeup, with the loss of five key staffers.

Campaign manager Brad Komar, national finance director Dan Sorenson, communication director Lauren Hitt, digital director John Schueler and New Hampshire political director Nolan Varee have left or intend to leave in the next few weeks, sources told ABC News.

M.E. Smith will take over as campaign manager, The Denver Post reported.

Hitt said she, Komar and Sorenson are leaving the campaign -- Sorenson to competitor Beto O'Rourke's campaign, where he will be the national finance director at the former congressman's base in Texas.

"For personal and professional reasons, it made sense [for Sorenson] to be in Texas," Hitt said.

Hickenlooper does not plan to drop out of the race, but he is fully aware how difficult it's been to break through the crowded field of more than 20 Democratic candidates, CNN reported Tuesday.

Hickenlooper, Colorado's governor between 2011 and January, qualified and participated in the first Democratic debates in Miami last week. His poll numbers, however, have remained around 1 percent.

He will reassess his campaign after the next Democratic debates in Detroit at the end of this month, the reports said. </s> A day after the second fundraising quarter ended and after his national finance director left to join former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke's presidential campaign, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper shook up his own presidential campaign staff.

On Monday night, Hickenlooper named M.E. Smith his campaign manager, replacing Brad Komar. A spokesperson confirmed the departure of Hickenlooper's national finance director, Dan Sorenson, for O'Rourke's campaign. Politico first reported Sorenson's defection to O'Rourke.

Smith most recently served as campaign manager for Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey's successful reelection. Smith was also Sen. Michael Bennet's deputy campaign manager in 2016 and deputy campaign manager for Hickenlooper's gubernatorial reelection campaign in 2014.

Hickenlooper campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said of Sorenson in a statement to CBS News, "We wish him the best on his future endeavors."

But Hitt, too, is leaving Hickenlooper's campaign. She told CBS News she would be transitioning out of the job in the next couple of weeks.

A source with knowledge of the campaign says the staffers leaving Hickenlooper's team were not fired but decided to leave.

Hickenlooper has been criticizing progressive plans like "Medicare for All" and the "Green New Deal" as unrealistic economically, while defending the role of the private sector and capitalism in the U.S. economy. The popular two-term Colorado governor has been lagging in the polls, registering under 1% in a CNN survey taken after last week's first primary debates.

Sarah Ewall-Wice and Stephen Sanchez contributed to this report. </s> Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper ended his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday, releasing a video in which he nodded at the possibility of a future Senate run.

The announcement comes after three Democrats familiar with the matter told CNN on Wednesday that Hickenlooper was poised to drop out.

"Today, I'm ending my campaign for President," Hicklenlooper said in the three-minute video. "But I will never stop believing that America can only move forward when we work together."

He added: "A little over six months ago, I announced my run for President. In almost every aspect, this journey has been more exciting and more rewarding than I ever imagined. Although, of course, I did imagine a very different conclusion."

Hickenlooper, who struggled to break out of the crowded field of candidates, has not yet decided whether he will run for the Senate as party leaders have urged him to do, sources said. He did not make an announcement on that decision in the Thursday video, but acknowledged the possibility.

"People want to know what comes next for me. I've heard from so many Coloradans who want me to run for the United States Senate. They remind me how much is at stake for our country. And our state. I intend to give that some serious thought," the governor said. "I've been a geologist, a small businessman, a mayor, a governor and a candidate for president of the United States. At each step, I've always looked forward with hope. And I always will."

Hickenlooper's exit from the race leaves 23 other Democrats vying for the 2020 nomination.

Hickenlooper framed his candidacy around stemming the leftward lurch of the Democratic Party. The two-term Colorado governor was a moderate voice in the primary, making his opposition to democratic socialism-- including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' political philosophy -- central to his campaign.

But that strategy failed to gain traction and Hickenlooper's campaign lost three of its most senior staffers in early July, including Brad Komar, the campaign manager. The losses signaled to many Democrats that Hickenlooper's campaign was on its last legs, but Democrats close to the governor said he wanted to stay in and reassess his chances after CNN's debate in late July.

Following that debate, it appeared the former Denver mayor would struggle to make the stage in the next round of debates in September as he was behind on both the fundraising and polling thresholds for qualification.

Hickenlooper's exit now opens the possibility that the once popular governor could run for Senate in Colorado, challenging Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican seen as one of the most vulnerable lawmakers in 2020.

Hickenlooper spoke with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York about potentially challenging Gardner following the July debate. He pressed ahead with his presidential campaign following that conversation, visiting the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines this past weekend along with many of the other presidential candidates.

Hickenlooper faces two issues in a Senate run, though: The governor has lambasted the prospect of running for Senate and Democratic Colorado Senate candidate Mike Johnston raised more in the second quarter of 2019 than Hickenlooper raised for his presidential bid.

The former governor spent the first few months of his presidential campaign knocking the idea of him jumping into the Senate race.

"If the Senate is so good, how come all of those senators are trying to get out?" Hickenlooper told CNN earlier this year, a nod to the number of Democratic senators who are running for president.

"The Senate doesn't attract me," he said. "It just doesn't attract me."

But by last weekend, with his presidential campaign nearing an end, he told CNN, "I don't rule anything out."

Even in a crowded Democratic primary, Hickenlooper is still seen as the party's strongest candidate to take on Gardner. Curtis Hubbard, a Democratic strategist for a firm that has worked for Hickenlooper in the past, has recently registered domain names like Hick4Senate.com in the hope that the former governor switches races. </s> Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s senior team urged him last month to withdraw from the presidential race gracefully and run for Colorado’s Senate seat or pursue other opportunities, a source familiar with the situation told POLITICO.

The source said that the campaign only has about 13,000 donors, making it almost impossible to qualify for the next round of presidential debates in the fall. The campaign also only raised just over $1 million in the second quarter — about what he raised in the first 48 hours of his candidacy — and will likely run out of money completely in about a month.

At least five staffers have left or are leaving Hickenlooper’s struggling operation, including his campaign manager, communications director, digital director and finance director. Hickenlooper named a new campaign manager on Monday night.

Hickenlooper publicly blamed his former staff Tuesday for his failure to gain traction in the crowded Democratic primary.

“We thought it was time to make a change,” he told MSNBC’s Craig Melvin. “You know, these campaigns are long, hard campaigns and you don’t always get it right with the first team.”

But a source familiar with the situation disputed the governor’s characterization, saying he is lashing out at the political professionals around him and surrounding himself with Colorado loyalists rather than confronting reality.

The Hickenlooper campaign declined to comment.

In an email to supporters Monday, Hickenlooper said, “Thanks to this team, we crossed the finish line of last night’s June fundraising sprint in great shape.”

Asked about his fundraising in the interview with MSNBC, however, Hickenlooper conceded “we certainly haven’t raised $24 million,” a reference to second-quarter sums reported by the campaigns of South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

“I’m not going to get into it until we pull the numbers together,” he added. “But the bottom line is for a small campaign like us … it’s harder to raise money because we’re not promising free health care or, you know, to forgive free tuition for everyone, forgive student debt.”

Lauren Hitt, Hickenlooper’s outgoing communications director, told POLITICO on Monday that campaign manager Brad Komar and finance director Dan Sorenson are no longer with the campaign.

“I will also be transitioning out over the next few weeks,” she said.

ABC News later reported that digital director John Schueler and New Hampshire political director Nolan Varee are also leaving the campaign.

Sorenson has joined Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign, and Hickenlooper named M.E. Smith his new campaign manager Monday night.

Hickenlooper met the polling requirement to qualify for last week’s debate and the upcoming debate in July. But his prospects for making the fall debates — candidates must have 130,000 donors and hit 2 percent in four qualifying polls — were dicier. The latest CNN poll released Monday shows Hickenlooper with just 1 percent support.

With two dozen candidates running, Hickenlooper has struggled to break out from the bottom of the pack. He spoke for just five minutes in Thursday’s debate, only getting more airtime than political outsiders Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson and California Rep. Eric Swalwell.

And Hickenlooper has so far resisted calls to run for Senate, despite appeals from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who chairs Senate Democrats’ campaign arm. If he were to change his mind and run to challenge Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, he would now face another crowded primary.

But Hickenlooper insists he won’t give up on running for president.

“You never quit,” he said in the MSNBC interview, echoing lessons his mother taught him. “You can’t control what life throws at you, but you can control how you respond. And her big push was, you know, you never quit. You just keeping trying other things until you make it work.”
There has been a shake-up within the campaign organization of former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, which includes the departure of the manager of Hickenlooper's presidential campaign, Bradley Komar. Komar and other departing staffers reportedly believe that Hickenlooper should quit the race as he has no realistic prospect of victory.