U.S. Senator from Colorado (since 2021)

John Hickenlooper is the incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator from Colorado, first elected in 2020, and is on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot for a second term²⁰¹⁵. Before the Senate he was Colorado's governor from 2011 to 2019 and Denver's mayor from 2003 to 2011, and he started out as a geologist and brewpub founder¹⁵²¹. He beat state Sen. Julie Gonzales in the June 30, 2026 Democratic primary¹⁸.

Where they stand 17 issues · tap any issue for the evidence

• AbortionLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)high

  Voted · high confidence

  • Voted yes on cloture to take up the Women's Health Protection Act (the motion failed 46 to 48). (2022-02-28) source
  • Voted yes again on cloture to take up the Women's Health Protection Act (the motion failed 49 to 51). (2022-05-11) source
  • Cosponsored the Women's Health Protection Act of 2025 from its introduction. (2025-06-24) source
  • Said the Dobbs decision shredded 50 years of precedent, that Americans overwhelmingly support Roe's protections, and "Let's return those rights back where they belong." (2025-06-24) source
• GunsAll of that, plus ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazineshigh

  Official action · high confidence

  • Cosponsored the Assault Weapons Ban of 2023. (2023-01-23) source
  • Cosponsored the Assault Weapons Ban of 2025. (2025-04-30) source
  • Cosponsored the Background Check Expansion Act (S. 494) from its introduction in 2023. (2023-02-16) source
  • Cosponsored the Background Check Expansion Act (S. 3214) from its introduction in 2025 (the same bill in a later Congress, one action). (2025-11-19) source
  • His campaign site says that as governor he created sweeping gun safety reform including universal background checks and limits on high capacity magazines, and that he supports legislation to expand background checks to all gun sales and ban assault weapons. (2026) source
• Campaign financeOverturn Citizens United by amendment and add public financing of campaignshigh

  Said · high confidence

  • His campaign site says he supports overturning the Citizens United ruling, is fighting dark money, and sponsors legislation for stricter regulations and disclosures for money in politics. (2026) source
  • Voted yes on cloture to take up the For the People Act, which included small-donor public financing and disclosure rules (the motion failed 50 to 50). (2021-06-22) source
• Politicians trading stocksNo, ban it for members and their spousesmedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Cosponsored the Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act (S. 1879), which was sponsored by Sen. Jon Ossoff. (2025-12-16) source
  • His campaign site says he has championed legislation to stop lawmakers from using their position to enrich themselves. (2026) source
• Kids onlineAlso require safe-by-default design and a legal duty of caremedium

  Official action · medium confidence

  • Cosponsored the Kids Online Safety Act from its introduction in the 118th Congress. (2023-05-02) source
  • Cosponsored the 2025 Kids Online Safety Act. (2025-06-11) source
• Mandatory minimumsAdd or lengthen them for serious crimes like fentanyl traffickingmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted for the HALT Fentanyl Act (passed 84 to 16), which adds fentanyl-related substances to the drug schedules with mandatory minimum penalties. (2025-03-14) source
• RedistrictingIndependent commissions draw maps, with a national ban on partisan gerrymanderingmedium

  Voted · medium confidence

  • Voted yes on cloture to take up the For the People Act (S. 2093), which creates independent redistricting commissions and bans partisan gerrymandering (the motion failed 50 to 50). (2021-06-22) source
  • Voted yes on cloture to take up the Freedom to Vote Act (S. 2747), which bans partisan gerrymandering but has no commission mandate (the motion failed 49 to 51). (Supporting evidence only: it bans partisan gerrymandering but has no commission mandate.) (2021-10-20) source
• Income taxesRaise taxes on the highest earners and corporations to pay for programsmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Said he would reimpose the higher federal income tax rates on the nation's biggest earners that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act reduced, while making the tax break for tipped employees permanent. (2026-10-05) source
• HealthcareAdd a government plan anyone can buy into (a public option)medium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Said he supports a public health insurance option, does not think private insurance should be eliminated, and wants total transparency in healthcare pricing. (2026-10-05) source
• Energy and climateAn aggressive shift to clean energy with firm deadlinesmedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Said the only way to battle climate change long term is to transition to clean energy with no carbon emissions, that natural gas use will be necessary in the meantime, and that "with the right leadership we could easily make 2050." (2026-10-05) source
• AI regulationFederal safety rules for powerful AI, with states free to add moremedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Said Congress should regulate AI, with third-party evaluators, a way to sue AI developers for damages, and protection for private data. (2026-10-05) source
  • Introduced the VET AI Act with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito to set guidelines for independent third-party evaluation of AI systems. (2024-07-25) source
• Term limitsYes, but longer limits that still allow long service, such as 12 years per chambermedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • Said senators should be limited to two terms and House members to between four and six terms. (2026-10-05) source
• Election rulesEasier access: automatic registration and mail voting for anyonemedium

  Said · medium confidence

  • His campaign site says that as governor he helped create the gold standard for universal vote-by-mail, and that as senator he is fighting efforts to end vote by mail. (2026) source
• Supreme Court reformAdd 18-year term limits and an enforceable ethics code, keeping nine seatslow

  Said · low confidence

  • Said he is open to 18-year Supreme Court terms as long as they are staggered so no single president appoints the whole Court. (2026-10-05) source
  • Cosponsored the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act in 2023. (2023-07-25) source
  • Cosponsored the 2025 Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act. (2025-05-20) source
• ImmigrationTighter border security plus a path to legal status for long-time residentslow

  Said · low confidence

  • Said people who have been working and paying taxes should at least get a guest-worker visa, that DACA recipients should have a pathway to citizenship, and that he is open to other pathways; he also said legal pathways are enough but are being dismantled. (2026-10-05) source
  • His campaign site says ICE needs to be completely overhauled or shut down, and he introduced legislation to ban ICE agents from wearing masks and from raids at sensitive locations such as schools and hospitals. (2026) source
• Drug pricesKeep Medicare negotiation and the current caps about as they arelow

  Said · low confidence

  • His Senate office's health care page says he supported amendments to protect the prescription drug negotiation provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act and has led bills on generic competition, drug patent abuses and third-party middlemen. (2026) source
• Aid to IsraelKeep it, but with conditions on how weapons are used and aid to Gazalow

  Said · low confidence

  • Said he is guarded about giving Israel more offensive weapons and munitions and wants to focus on helping it defend itself. (2026-10-05) source

No public position found on: National debt, Social Security, Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Trade and tariffs, Foreign policy, Judges, Marijuana, Electoral College, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, School vaccines, Nuclear power, Birthright citizenship, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, Aid to Ukraine, China policy.