20 Democrats Who Could Run for President in 2020

PHILADELPHIA, PA – JULY 28: Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper (D-CO) delivers remarks on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 28, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton received the number of votes needed to secure the party’s nomination. An estimated 50,000 people are expected in Philadelphia, including hundreds of protesters and members of the media. The four-day Democratic National Convention kicked off July 25. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

15. John Hickenlooper

John Hickenlooper, the current governor of Colorado, could be described as the Democrats’ version of George W. Bush, minus the presidential nepotism. Hickenlooper is such a portrait of good ol’ boy-ism that he titled his memoir The Opposite of Woe: My Life in Beer and Politics. In the book, he admits to smoking and growing pot in his younger years and writes about things like nude selfies and DUIs. Rather than try and bury his skeletons in the closet, Hickenlooper drags his out and puts them on display.

Although the book was released in May 2016, Hickenlooper’s disclosures haven’t been a threat to his political career. Colorado voters seem to appreciate his down-to-earth nature, first electing him as mayor of Denver and then governor. Hillary Clinton included him in her list of potential VP candidates. Now he’s considered a viable candidate for President in 2020.

Despite of his laid back, hipster-ish demeanor — he co-founded a brewery before entering politics — Hickenlooper was actually against the legalization of marijuana. Other than that, he’s taken a fairly liberal approach to other issues. He’s against the death penalty and in favor of gun control; he’s expanded services to the homeless and increased funding for disaster relief. Overall, Hickenlooper is a very likable candidate with a solid political history.