Hello and welcome back to another edition of the 2020 US Presidential Candidate Profiles and today we will be doing it on John Hickenlooper who dropped out of the race on 15th August this year.
Away from that, the current mayor of New York City, Democrat Bill de Blasio has also dropped out of the presidential race on 20th September and so you can expect a 2020 Candidate Profile in him hopefully some point next week.
John Hickenlooper
DoB: February 7th 1952, Narberth, Pennsylvania, US.
Education: Graduated from Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Arts in English (1974) and graduated again from the same university with a Master’s degree in geology (1980).
Positions
- Chair of the National Governor’s Association from 2014 to 2015.
- Part of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns non-profit organisation.
Other Notable Achievements
- Co-founded the Wynkoop Brewing Company.
Overview
The former Governor of Colorado announced his run for president in 2020 on 4th March, being the 13th Democratic Candidate to do so. Heavy Trump critic. He later dropped out of the race on August 15th 2019 due to lack of popularity and some reports suggesting the campaign was running out of money. He is now making a run for US senator for Colorado in 2020.
Political Career
Mayor of Denver – 2003 – 2011
- Handled the city’s budget crisis.
- Changed the career personnel system.
- Announced the “10 Year Plan to End Homelessness” initiative.
- Became one of the first major cities to allow marijuana for medical use.
- For those under 18, possession of less than an ounce of cannabis was decriminalized.
- Although the above was implemented, Hickenlooper did oppose lesser sentences and decriminalization of drug possession but accepted it was the will of the people and their changing attitudes.
Governor for the state of Colorado – 2011 – 2019
- Although he was against it, Amendment 64 was added to Colorado’s constitution, allowing possession of up to 1 ounce of cannabis for those over 21, for recreational use.
- Hickenlooper has signed numerous gun control bills into Colorado state law, including limit of a 15-round magazine and background checks. Another bill taxed firearm transfers to cover the cost of background checks. He also supported another bill that would have allowed judges to restrict firearms to people in the state deemed a significant risk to themselves or others, but the State Republican controlled Senate never let the bill leave committee.
- Signed a bill in 2011 to create the Colorado health care exchange. Also, in 2013 he signed a bill that expanded medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act. During this time the states insured rate rose to 93.5%.
- After record-setting floods and wildfires in the state, Hickenlooper signed bills to help disaster relief for those affected including $5 million to remove flood debris from watersheds, also earmarked construction funding for flood-damaged schools, $17 million to go towards damaged wastewater and drinking water systems and also signed a bill that called for the state to pay the property taxes for those who lost their homes.
- Created the first methane-capture regulations in the country for oil and gas companies. It prevented 95% of volatile organic compounds and methane from leaking from hydraulic fracturing wells. These rules were later mirrored by California, Federal US Government and even Canada.
- Despite President Trump pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord, Colorado was one of a number of states who decided to keep with the greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.
- Hickenlooper launched the Skilful program in 2016, with the help of LinkedIn and Markle Foundation. The program used online tools as well as on-the-ground advisors to help businesses create job descriptions to tap into a wider job pool as well as helping job seekers fill high-need jobs and connecting them with job training.
Other Political Activity/notes
- Has opposed decimalization and lesser sentencing of cannabis, although he has come around to it more so over the years, saying he noticed it had done some good in Colorado.
- Supports implementing gun control.
- Is against the death penalty. He has stated one of the reasons he is against it is due to its bias towards people with mental health problems and also minorities.
- Supports the Affordable Care Act.
Controversy
- Stay of Execution
In 2013 Hickenlooper granted an indefinite stay of execution for convicted murderer Nathan Dunlap who was charged with killing four employees at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in 1993. The families of the victims wished for his execution to proceed but Hickenlooper granted the stay of execution, due to his strong disapproval of the death penalty.
Thank you for reading and stay tuned next week for the 2020 Candidate Profile on Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio.
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