Hickenlooper announces $3.7M raised in pre-primary reporting period

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) announced Thursday he had raised $3.7 million for his Senate campaign between April 1 and June 10.

The Hickenlooper campaign said the haul is the most raised for a Colorado Senate candidate during the pre-primary period. 

“I am thankful for the support of our grassroots army during these difficult times,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. 

The campaign said the average contribution during this period was $24. 

“Republicans have already started spending millions of dollars to attack me in their attempt to save Senator Cory Gardner. But Mitch McConnell’s ads can’t change the facts: Senator Gardner has sided with Trump 100% of the time and failed to be the independent voice he promised Coloradans he’d be,” Hickenlooper added. “This pandemic has underscored the need for change in a broken Washington, and I aim to bring that change.”

The campaign said it will report $5.9 million cash on hand. 

Hickenlooper, who announced his Senate campaign after ending his failed presidential bid, apologized earlier this week after a video surfaced of him comparing himself and elected officials to slaves on ships. 

“Taking a look at this video from six years ago, I recognize that my comments were painful. I did not intend them to be. I offer my deepest apologies,” Hickenlooper said in a statement released by his campaign Monday.

Hickenlooper is the front-runner in Colorado’s Democratic Senate primary scheduled for June 30. 

The winner of the primary will face Sen. Cory Gardner (R), in what is seen as one of the toughest reelection battles for a GOP senator this fall. The race is ranked a “toss up” by The Cook Political Report.