Former Colorado Gov. Hickenlooper making moves toward 2020 run

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Is Gov. Hickenlooper looking ahead to 2020?

As many as 30 Democrats are considering 2020 presidential bids, including Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper who recently indicated he is 'leaning strongly' toward announcing a bid.

John Hickenlooper, who just finished serving two terms as Colorado’s governor, appears to be moving closer to launching a run for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Fox News has confirmed that Hickenlooper will be making multiple stops next week in New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary in the race for the White House.

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Earlier this week, he met with voters and activists in South Carolina, which holds the first southern primary. And a week and a half ago, he made the rounds in Iowa, the state that kicks off the presidential caucus and primary calendar.

“The more and more I travel, I see that there is an appetite for a leader who not only talks about progressive policies, but who has a proven track record of enacting them,” Hickenlooper said in a statement to Fox News.

With high-profile Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York already in the race, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota likely to jump in on Sunday, Hickenlooper is contrasting the gridlock in the nation’s capital with his accomplishments the past eight years in Denver, Colorado’s state capital.

“In Colorado, we've done what D.C. has in many cases failed to do, passing universal background checks, creating near universal health insurance coverage, and enacting the strongest methane regulations in the country to combat climate change,” he highlighted.

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Hickenlooper will be in New York City on Thursday, to celebrate his 67th birthday and hold a fundraiser for his Giddy Up political action committee, another sign he is likely ramping up for a White House bid.

The geologist-turned-Denver-brewpub-pioneer was a first-time candidate when he won election in 2003 as the city’s mayor. After winning re-election in 2007, he successfully ran for governor in 2010 and was re-elected four years later.

While in New Hampshire next Tuesday and Wednesday, he’ll visit a business in Londonderry, headline a house party in Manchester and speak at New England College.

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During his last visit to the Granite State, in October, the then-term limited governor appeared to get ahead of himself. He told a woman at Robie’s Country Store in Hooksett – a must stop for White House hopefuls – that “I’m going to run for president” before quickly walking his comments back.