John Hickenlooper, Colorado

John Hickenlooper is a Democratic U.S. Senator from Colorado, serving since 2021. A Wesleyan University geology graduate, he was laid off during the 1980s oil bust and reinvented himself by opening the Wynkoop Brewing Company, Denver’s first brewpub, which helped catalyze the revitalization of lower downtown. He served as Mayor of Denver from 2003 to 2011 and Governor of Colorado from 2011 to 2019, where he expanded Medicaid, championed renewable energy, and earned a reputation as a pragmatic, business-minded executive focused on bipartisan collaboration and economic growth.