Report: John Hickenlooper to drop out of Democratic presidential primary Thursday

Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper is doing great in the polls — but for an entirely different race.

Hickenlooper, the moderate former governor of Colorado, is expected to end his 2020 presidential bid on Thursday, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press on Wednesday night. He has had a hard time raising money, and in some national polls, he registers zero percent support.

However, a poll released earlier this week of 600 Democratic primary voters in Colorado showed that if Hickenlooper decides to shift gears and run for Senate next year, he would have a huge lead over the Democrats now in the race — 61 percent of respondents said they preferred Hickenlooper, with only 10 percent supporting Mike Johnston and 8 percent backing Andrew Romanoff.

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The Democrat who wins the primary will face off against Sen. Cory Gardner (R), considered the most vulnerable GOP senator up for re-election next year. Democratic pollster Geoff Garin said Hickenlooper's "massive lead" in the poll is "a function first and foremost of his personal popularity. Additionally, primary voters see Hickenlooper as the best candidate to defeat Republican Sen. Cory Gardner and help Democrats win a majority in the U.S. Senate, which the poll shows is a key priority for primary voters."