Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
1h ago

Colorado’s Julie Gonzales Launches Progressive Primary Challenge to Sen. John Hickenlooper

Her bid tests progressive strength against a well-funded incumbent with broad name recognition.

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

  • State Sen. Julie Gonzales opened her campaign Monday, branding herself an “insurgent progressive” and faulting Hickenlooper for backing 10 of Trump’s 22 cabinet nominees, which she calls disqualifying.
  • The two-term lawmaker, 42, serves as Senate Majority Whip and Judiciary Committee chair and has led measures on immigration, reproductive rights and consumer protections.
  • Hickenlooper, 73, a former Denver mayor and governor seeking a second Senate term, enters with more than $3.6 million on hand and a record of never losing a Colorado race.
  • With the Democratic primary set for late June 2026, Gonzales has roughly seven months to raise money and build a statewide profile while remaining in the legislature.
  • Other contenders include Democrats Karen Breslin, Brashad Hasley and Anthony Zimpher, and Republicans Janak Joshi, George Markert and Dathan Jones, while national Republicans have not flagged Colorado as a top 2026 target.