Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper won the state's Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday evening, per AP. Of note: Hickenlooper wasn't the only eye-catching win Tuesday night. Lauren Boebert (R) defeated the Trump-endorsed incumbent Rep. Scott Tipton (R) in the Republican primary for Colorado's third congressional district.
Why Hickenlooper's win matters: Hickenlooper will now face off against Sen. Cory Gardner — largely considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the November general elections. But the former governor has faced recent backlash over past comments and ethics complaints.
- Hickenlooper apologized this month for his 2014 comments comparing public officials to slaves being whipped on an "ancient slave ship."
- An ethics committee determined that Hickenlooper violated state law by accepting gifted rides in a private jet and a Maserati limousine, per the Washington Post. He was fined $3,000, and held in contempt after failing to appear for the first day of hearings on the matter.
Between the lines: Hickenlooper was the latest establishment Democrat to face a possible upset from a more progressive challenger — in this case, former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff.
- 16-term Rep. Eliot Engel (D) was notably defeated last week in the New York primaries by Jamaal Bowman, a progressive former middle school principle.
- Amy McGrath, a 2018 sweetheart of the Democratic Party, nearly lost to progressive Charles Booker in the Kentucky Democratic Senate primary amid ongoing pressure from Black Lives Matter activists.
- In Colorado, Romanoff was in favor of Medicare-for-All and the Green New Deal — both policy positions that Hickenlooper has veered to the right of.
