Hickenlooper raised $2.8 million for Colorado Senate bid in fourth quarter of 2019

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) raised $2.8 million for his Senate bid in the fourth quarter of 2019, his campaign announced Tuesday.

The campaign said in a statement that 93 percent of its contributions were $200 or less and that the average grassroots donation amounted to $26. It also collected donations from every county in Colorado throughout last year.

“Thank you to each and every one of the grassroots donors who stepped up to support our campaign,” said Hickenlooper. “As we head into the election year, these resources will help us to travel across the state and get out our message of bringing change to Washington and bringing people together to actually get things done on the issues that Coloradans care about.” 

The campaign said the fourth quarter haul is a record for Senate campaigns in Colorado in an off year. Hickenlooper’s campaign holds $3.2 million in cash on hand.

Hickenlooper, who helmed the Centennial State from 2011 to 2019 before waging a short-lived White House campaign, is running to unseat Sen. Cory Gardner (R), widely considered one of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents in the Senate.

Gardner’s campaign has not yet released its fourth-quarter fundraising total and did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Hill. 

Gardner is expected to be well-financed heading into the Senate race, as the GOP is keen on keeping his seat in its hands. He raised $2.45 million in the third quarter of 2019 and boasted $6.7 million in his campaign account at the end of September.

The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, rates the 2020 Colorado Senate race as a toss-up.