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11h ago

Colorado State Sen. Julie Gonzales Launches Progressive Primary Challenge to Hickenlooper

Her bid tests Democratic voters’ appetite for an “insurgent” alternative to a well-funded incumbent.

Colorado state Sen. Julie Gonzales, a Denver Democrat and the Judiciary Committee's chair, addresses the crowd during hearings on HB-1312 in the Old Supreme Court hearing room at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver on April 30, 2025. The committee listened to testimony from opponents and proponents of the bill, which would extend legal protections to transgender people, for more than eight hours. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Overview

  • Julie Gonzales announced a primary run on Monday, casting herself as an insurgent progressive and presenting an ideological and generational choice for Colorado Democrats.
  • She is targeting John Hickenlooper’s confirmation votes for 10 of President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees, a tally CBS News identified as tying for the most among Senate Democrats.
  • Gonzales is entering roughly seven months before the June 2026 primary, compressing the time to raise money and build statewide name recognition.
  • Hickenlooper, a former Denver mayor and two-term governor now seeking a second Senate term, reported about $3.6 million on hand in early October and has been preparing for a primary.
  • Gonzales points to a progressive state record on immigration, tenant protections, and abortion rights, and says Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” and recent local progressive gains spurred her decision to run.