CO-SEN: How the coronavirus cemented Hickenlooper as the front-runner
Not too long ago, this week should have marked a definitive moment in Andrew Romanoff’s campaign for the U.S. Senate.
The insurgent progressive expected to stand on a big stage, in front of hundreds of supporters at the Colorado Democratic Party assembly, and claim the top line on the June 30 primary ballot.
Instead, the spread of the coronavirus quashed the moment — and possibly his campaign against former Gov. John Hickenlooper, the favored candidate of national Democrats who has secured place on the ballot. The same is true for a handful of women candidates seeking to qualify for the race.
Romanoff, former House speaker and mental health advocate, is still expected to win his ballot slot but without the fanfare.The party assembly Saturday and the delegate vote are now online.
The candidate is not dwelling on the shift. “What folks are facing and struggling with, and dying from, is a million times worse than what a candidate has to go through just to reach voters,” Romanoff said in an interview.
But his campaign needed the spotlight to showcase widespread support among the Democratic faithful and win a jolt of momentum, the ingredients that drive fundraising and voter attention. Now, the new dynamics of the COVID-19 campaign mostly favor Hickenlooper, political observers say, and only serve to cement his already sizable advantage in the primary contest.
“Any remaining events before the June primary will likely be virtual and mostly devoid of a real clash,” said Floyd Ciruli, the director of the Crossley Center for Public Opinion at the University of Denver. “Rivals are now denied a live audience and the dynamics needed to show grassroots support.”
https://coloradosun.com/2020/04/13/how-the-coronavirus-snuffed-the-primary-for-u-s-senate-and-cemented-hickenlooper-as-the-front-runner/
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