what does john hickenlooper say now? >> "firing line" with mgaret hoover is made possible by the margaret and daniel loeb foundation. adtional funding provided by. corporatens funding by step wink. >> welcome to "firing line,"rn go john hickenlooper. >> thank you for having me. >> you are the former governor of colorado. my home state. a formerly red state and purple state and now trending blue. p >>tty blue. >> you have been a mayor, a brew pub owner, and you have alsoen geologist. >> i have had a sequence of careers. >> now you are running to be the democratic nominee for presidene of the u states. you have just come off the second debate where youad only beto o'rourke between you and izabeth warren and bernie sanders. in your closing statement you started by saying what a night, i've loved it. >> yeah. >> what did you love about the debate? >> you spend so much of yourif timeou are in public service, learning the issues and really how do you make the greatest good for the greatest number of people. there y are with ni

hickenlooper is in as of today. he is popular in colorado. as a theoretical senate candidate, there was polling that showed him way, way, way out ahead of every other democrat in that field, like 50-plus points ahead of any other democrat. now that he is an actual candidate and not just an idea, that fight might get a bit closer. we shall see. i think politico.com won for the best headline on the story of john hickenlooper jumping from the presidential race to the senate race today. their headline about that today, look, was, hickenlooper goes from david to goliath, meaning he wasn't that big a deal in the presidential race, it turns out, but in the senate race, he is a very big deal. we will see about john hickenlooper making that late change and trying to be the goliath in that u.s. senate race that the democratic party sees as absolutely winnable. we will also see about jay inslee going for a third term as governor in his home state of washington. but watching inslee and hickenlooper make those leaps today, i think only puts a fourth spotl

hickenlooper. thank you very much for being with us. let me ask you, how does the iowa state fair compared to the colorado fair? i have been to about 10 colorado state fairs. they were great. they were spectacular indifferent. but they are nowhere near as big. the iowa state fair is the biggest one i've ever seen anywhere. the fairgrounds is about 450 acres. well over a million people expected to attend. d think your resonating with voters? >> i would like to think so. am try to show them that as governor, i had to balance a budget every year. i had to use the innovations. the process of finding solutions to problems. that as a governor to get near universal health care coverage. to create methane regulations to fight climate change. >> let me ask you about the gun debate. how do you balance second with thoseights calling for background checks and bans on assault rifle's? it, weave to approach have to respect the second amendment. people want the right to bear all kinds of arms. the second amendmen

"the new york times" reports that they talked about the possibility of john hickenlooper dropping out of the presidential race and running for senate in colorado. the democrats need to win just three senate seats to gain control of the united states senate. and john hickenlooper right now is polling 13 points ahead of republican incumbent senator cory gardner. so john hickenlooper is one of the presidential candidates who, if he chooses to drop out and run for senate, has the power to possibly knock mitch mcconnell out of the majority leader's office and so that conversation in the ride around the lake yesterday was, like, wicked important and we are lucky to be joined tonight by one-half of that conversation riding around the lake, senator michael bennet will join us at the end of this hour to discuss the presidential campaign and the democrats' campaign to retake the united states senate and how john hickenlooper might play a major role in winning back the united states senate. we will try to pry all of the secrets of the ride around the lake out of senator michael bennet at the end

john hickenlooper is an exceptional mayor. he was an exceptional governor. to run he'd be an exceptional senator. but the last person he needs advice from is me on what he should do about the president -- >> "the new york times" reports he sought advice from you last night climbing into the car with you riding around the lake in iowa and here we are 24 hours later a.p. reporting that he is going to drop out tomorrow. in the "new york times" report it showed that john hickenlooper, though relatively unknown nationally to the point where he's actually polling at zero in polls, in colorado just massively popular. a 13-point lead in current polls over the sitting incumbent republican senator in a state that donald trump lost. i mean, talk about what would happen. if john hickenlooper runs for senate in colorado. >> he would win. >> he's got over a 50-point lead in the democratic primary. >> he's right where the state is on a whole range of issues. and he left office as popular as he came into office. as governor. so i'm not going to front-run whatever it is he's

look, it's going to be more difficult for hickenlooper here. the argument that cory gardner is going to make against him is the same one his democratic primary rivals are going to make which is he couldn't decide what he wanted to run for. as far as the national scene goes him getting out will free up some donors. i know he was getting some pressure, from my sources, getting pressure from donors to get out. some folks who wanted to not be disloyal to him but were ready to move on to other candidates. i think you'll see a little bit of a bump for some of the others who were maybe in similar lanes, probably michael bennett from colorado will benefit a little bit from him getting out and some of their shared supporters feeling more comfortable going with bennett. >> meantime, jonathan, speaking of donors and money you've got a piece about how some folks are spending it, an uptick of money going into iowa from a number of front-runners. tell us a little bit more about that. >> we're seeing the first ads of the cycle from front-runners or the group

but hickenlooper even acknowledges this in the ad.dly said who the heck would want to be in the united states senate. now, he want to be in the united states senate. >> and then he said he wasn't cut out to be a senator not too long today. now, he does want to try to run for the senate. i think he can be successful. as you said, democrats are excited because they're trying to get the senate back. they are trying to get three seats to do so. and he's got a chance because of moderate policies. you hear in the ad talking about protecting pre-existing conditions. something that voters were increasingly worried about in the election. worried about republicans stripping them of that. going back to what i said about beto o'rourke, people hoping they will drop out and run for senate. >> you saw his goofy sentiment in that ad which colorado residents know about. his ads in the past have shown him in the shower in his clothes. or jumping out of an airplane. i think he's known for that which does not really translate to his presidential campaign

i'll pass. >>> john hickenlooper has, in the past, dismissed suggestions.sidering leaving the presidential race and running against incumbent cory gardner. that race critical. would you have to reconsider long-shot odds at retaking the senate next year. hickenlooper not the only presidential candidate whose name comes up. 53-47. democrats have to defend a few seats. let's look at those. alabama. the toughest race. democrats say we have to be careful about new hampshire, michigan if they lose that, the math gets more complicated. susan colins in maine? sure. vulnerable. joni ernst up for re-election. that's where you normally look. montana, lot of democrats steve bullock, they wish would get out of the race and run for senate. this state tends to go blue. that could help a democrat to win in the senate race, a reason a lot of democrats say please go home, governor. help our math. michael bennet, who happens to be a presidential candidate says a candidate like hickenlooper here might make this map a little better for democrats. the only way we can make the po

hickenlooper: thank you and good evening.forse producing a picture of the world's corn, but as i look out there tonight, it is clear you are also in the cattle business. but i'm honored to play my part. this last week, like every week for the last three years, we are once again been reminded why this campaign is so important. the immoral, unethical, dangerous president continues to divide us. even as families in el paso and dayton are mourning their love ones gunned down in mass shootings, and dozens of others are in hospital beds recovering from their injuries. we as democrats might have our differences, but we all know who the real opponents is, and we cannot take our eye off the prize. i also think we will be foolish to think that this would be easy. the fact is donald trump's approval rating is 42% today. at the same point in their presidencies, ronald reagan was at 43%. barack obama was at 44%. both of them were reelected. both of them, where neither of them had an economy is strong as what we have today. so we need to b

it was john hickenlooper. poof. now here last night on this very program, washington state governor jay inslee became the third to get out of the race. now for first time three, two, one, poof. i thank you kindly for coming to talk to us to make your announcement about why you decided to get out. now here is where we are at. there's still a big, huge field of democrats out there. the winnowing process has started. the stuff these candidates are leaving the presidential primary to do instead is already interesting even with only a few guys out. as he hinted about in his announcement last night that he was leaving the presidential race, jay inslee today confirmed to the people of washington that he is going to run for a third term as governor of washington state. there are not term limits. he can run for a third term. he is popular. there's nothing that went so wrong in his presidential campaign other than him not winning. nothing from his campaign that should give him too much baggage for that third term run. we now

as governor, john hickenlooper announced the end -- as governor john hickenlooper announced the end of his presidential run today and made it clear he's thinking about a senate run in colorado instead, whether or not he's going to jump in, we can now take him off our list of the democrats who are in contention for the presidential nomination for their party. now, i should note for the record that there are a whole bunch of other democrats who are already in that super hot u.s. senate race in colorado to unseat cory gardner. i should also tell you that john hickenlooper's own wife is already on record to a maxed out of donor to one of the democrats who is a declared candidate. he is maxed out to a former obama administration diplomat that is running, a man by the name of dan baer. a new national poll is out today, a qualifying poll in terms of democratic candidates trying to get into the next round of debates. as you can see there in the third column, john hickenlooper polled in this new national poll as an asterisk, which means he was at less than one-half of 1% in terms of his support

now, governor john hickenlooper. >> thank you, rachel. thank you for sitting out here in the hot sun.

the former colorado governor, john hickenlooper, is bowing out and may

former colorado governor hickenlooper. congressman tim ryan. >> it is time for us to unify this country. >> and montana governor steve bullock in his first presidential debate. >> we are here to make sure that donald trump is a one term president. it iselan. and washington outsider marianne williamson. >> this time we will win with love. >> campaigning for a change in a state they want to take back from trump. >> there is no such thing as a permanently red state. >> there is nothing that will stop us. >> democracy is for sale. >> good evening from the historic fox theater in downtown detroit, michigan. this is the cnn democratic presidential debate. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the , cnn, watching us on cnn international, cnn en es panol, cnn.com, and listening to us on the radio network, and a special welcome to the u.s. military members and their families serving overseas and watching on the american forces network. i am the anchor of the lead and state of the union, along with cnn's chief polit

hickenlooper is not in the conversation.n becomes if he's not going to be in the presidential race, does he end up going for the senate. now a lot of former governors often don't like the fact of having to go for the senate. governors get to run things, senators are seeing a lot of the gridlock in washington. it's not as attractive as it -- >> talk to joe manchin. >> they're really happy with their field in colorado. we have as many as 12 candidates who are running for the right to take on cory gardner. if hickenlooper decided to run for the senate he'd have higher name id. he might be able to clear some of those people. right now i think democrats are sitting in a position where colorado is a state they feel like a generic democratic candidate can beat corey gardner. >> would hickenlooper be a good senator? >> he was a phenomenal governor. phenomenal governor. he was a phenomenal mayor. i don't see any reason why he wouldn't be a phenomenal senator. he's got to make his own decisions. >> so charlie sikes, if hickenlooper do

. >> that didn't do anything to help john hickenlooper for president now he's trying john hickenlooper percentage. >> i want to give it a shot. >> because they have moved on, doesn't mean iowans have any more clarity about whether or not the democratic platform is something they can get behind. >> i can be a blue dog democrat one day and a liberal republican the next. >> there's too many candidates. >> it's healthy for a democracy but i think eventually things will get to the right place. >> iowans are very interested in what democrats are going to do about global warming but the dnc just made it harder for them to find out because today there was about about whether or not to dedicate one of the upcoming debates just to climate change and the dnc voted no. >> bret: peter doocy who has essentially moved to des moines, thanks. it's one of the quirks in the constitutional system, you are actually selecting members of the electoral college, a little-known body that ultimately decides who occupies the white house. their exact role and responsibility have been sources of controversy, we've

what are you doing, hickenlooper?!g his hands up in exasperation is bernie's signature move! ( as bernie ) "i throw my hands in the air, because i profoundly care!" ( laughter ) tim ryan-- is that his name, tim ryan? tim ryan had a weird way of connecting with the common man. >> we've got to talk about the working class issues, the people who take a shower after work. ( laughter ) >> stephen: that's a unique way to refer to working class voters. ( as ryan ) "i care about the people who shower after work! who come in and peel off their sweaty clothes in the garage, because they're dirty. they are so, so very dirty. then they soap up and maybe the soap splashes on the sides of the glass in the shower. and it gets all steamy and soapy you can't see what's going on in there. and then maybe some of the water tumbles off them splashes on the glass and rolls down, and then, suddenly-- bam! it clears away and you can see all the way to christmas morning-- and you can tell they're into crossfit. and, i'm sorry, what was the que

john hickenlooper is out. many people said one of the reasons he struggled is he was centrist and outspoken about the fact that he is centrist. you are also centrist and you're polling at 1%. what does john hickenlooper's departure from the race tell you about what your party's voters want? >> well, i think it opens it up. i think biden is holding a certain ground there but i think people are looking for someone else. the vast majority of the party, steph, is not way to the left. i mean, i'd say 70% to 75% of democrats are looking for somebody who is going to talk about the economy, talk about middle class, talk about the skills gap we have. that there are good paying jobs out there but we got to get people in them. really focusing on the economic anxiety that's out there. that's what i've been doing. we've had the best two weeks of my campaign money wise, attention wise, crowd wise, so we're just going to keep going and the more people get to know me the more they are interested in helping out. >> you don't h

hickenlooper has face that had kind of pressure. he has not yet said definitively if the race is where he'll end up. as of today we do get on poof john hickenlooper out. here we go. 3, 2, 1. poof! as governor, john hicken -- as he announced the end of his run and made it clear he is thinking about a senate run instead, who are not he'll jump in, we can take him off our list of the democrats in contention for the presidential nomination for their party. i should note for the record that there are a bunch of other democrats who are already in that super hot race in colorado to try to unseat republican cory gardner. should i tell that you john hickenlooper's own wife is already on record as the mafld out donor to one of the democrats in that race. she is maxed out to a former obama diplomat. a man by the name of dan baer. a new national poll is out today that is a qualifying poll in terms of candidates trying to get into the next round of debates. as you can see there in the third column, john hickenlooper polled in this new national p

hickenloop hickenlooper's entrance is bad news for cory gardner who is polling ten points bind a generict right now. it leaves just 22 candidates vying for the democratic nomination. the question though is how long is the field going to stay that big. to answer that question i'm joined by paula ramos, and staff writer at the new yorker, professor of journalism. i think the hickenlooper news is significant because many people have been jumping up and down and pointing at races to some of the candidates being like maybe you should do this and that's what he did. >> yes, it is significant. it is narrowing down, but i also think there's something else that is happening, which is that people are widening and redef p redefining what electability means. it used to be the case that we thought that electability meant that it was just about beating donald trump. now it's turning into something else, which is why the race will continue to be this massive fight because it's about who can win and who can beat donald trump the right way, which is what i think we're going to see in the debates, the rig

i'm john hickenlooper, candidate for united states senate.his message and i hope you'll join me in this campaign. >> he is ahead already. a new poll shows john hickenlooper leading cory gardner 53% to 40%. if the democrats pick up colorado, they will only need two more wins to take control of the united states senate and knock mitch mcconnell out of the majority leader's job. charlie cook of the cook political report is out with new analysis this week on the upcoming presidential election and it all boils down to this. a lot can and will happen over the next 15 months, and things can certainly change. but at this point this looks to be an uphill climb for the president's re-election. charlie cook has the numbers that explain how steep that climb is and charlie cook will join us next. ♪ [dog barks] [dog panting] [dogs barking] [dogs growling] [dogs whimpering] (vo) the subaru crosstrek. dog tested. dog approved. [dog barks] they give us excellent customer otservice, every time.e. our 18 year old was in an accident. usaa took care of her car re

hickenlooper has resisted to run for senate in months.this past sunday right here on cnn. >> every time we've beaten an incoumbent president of either party, it's been with a governor or former governor. and i feel that's -- you know, we're the ones who have to balance the budgets. we're where the buck stops. i've done, i've achieved the big progressive goals that washington has been incapable of. >> used to be that was a message you could sell in all presidential politics. george w. bush, ronald reagan, michael dukakis lost but won a nomination. bill clinton won a nomination and won the presidency. what does this tell us, hickenlooper was never able to put it together, that governors don't have the cache they used to have, all of the above? >> i think it's all of the above. i think you have to place responsibility and blame on the candidate himself. he says the right words a lot of people wanting to hear. he's not the sexiest salesman. the reality is in this era of donald trump, in this era of a diverse democratic field of candidates, he

what do you think hickenlooper will do, do you think he can hang on to colorado?> i think hickenlooper's entry into the race is not a bad thing for republicans. he ran a disastrous race for president, he managed to make joe biden look young and spry in that race. i don't see any sign that the democrats currently in that primary are going to step aside. i think it could potentially complicate the primary. even if he emerges as the nominee, and i'm not sure he does,but even if he hickenlooper has not been seriously tested by an important republican. the last republican he defeated was like doug jones boasting about beating roy moore. that's not a big a competent. cory gardner is one of the most talented politicians on our generation and i think he is going to turn in a good race. hickenlooper being in, i don't think changes the dynamic and quite possibly makes it more competitive for us to make sure we keep this in the r column. host: you've got a couple other competitive races, one that everyone has been talking about is maine. susan collins has been in office sinc

hickenlooper's senate seat is ripeat for the picking.ome others don't have those goods options but it is playin out pretty well for this pair. >> let's discuss the whiplash we've seen from the president especially on policy reversals from gun legislation to greenland, really. what kind of message is this sending to americans, especially as we get closer and closer to the next election? >> it sends a message of instability. it also sends a message to allies ore seeming allies of t united states like denmark, whichte is about the most steadfast ally in the world. you can imagine they are not being treated very much. that has all kinds of ramifications internationally. >> thank you, david. >>> still ahead, the trump administration reveals a plan that could see immigrant families detained indefinitely. >> later, donald trump promised to balance the budget but it turns outt the deficit is ballooning. those stories and a check on the weather when we come right back. [farmers bell] (burke) at farmers insurance, we've seen almost everything, so

tim ryan. >> steve: oh [ light laughter ] >> jimmy: one last try, john hickenlooper.eat, come on. he was in all the debates. >> steve: yeah >> jimmy: gave it his all. here's - let's see him. ♪ [ laughter ] >> jimmy: okay, that's clearly -- stop >> steve: come on. >> jimmy: stop it. that's the cartoon general from the -- [ laughter and applause we've got to get new research people >> steve: yeah, gosh >> jimmy: the other candidates are still on the trail, including kamala harris. she's been doing whatever it takes to get her name out there. and sometimes it's pretty intense. i'll show you what i mean in this edition of "candidate check-in." >> announcer: election's seasons back, baby, and it's out of control candidates are dunkin' it out on the campaign trail and they'll do anything to get your vote it's big it's wild! it's intense i 16. >> announcer: intense! [ laughter ] >> jimmy: wow, it's intense. >> steve: wow. [ cheers and applause >> jimmy: bingo! you guys, a lot of the national news is pretty bad right now the economy, the trade war, the campaign it'd be nice t

." >> stephen: first up on the "d" style is former colorado governor john hickenlooper, seen hickenlooperuggled to gain traction and is considering ending his presidential bid and entering the race for colorado's republican-held senate seat. bravo! bravo! good for you! i like that. finally, a man willing to put aside his ego and do what is good for the country. that guy should run for president. and the numbers back him up. on sunday, "the denver post" published a poll saying hickenlooper would lead other democrats in the colorado senate race by 51 percentage points, which shocked hickenlooper. he did not know poll numbers could have two digits. ( laughter ) and he's put a lot of thought into this. and he's taking the idea of dropping out seriously. in fact, last weekend, hickenlooper hopped into senator michael bennet's car to discuss his impending decision. bennet listened to hickenlooper carefulfully, then thoughtfully replied, "who are you?" but other democratic candidates -- ( applause ) thank you. other democratic candidates are still going strong, like south bend mayor and photo on

steven: i think john hickenlooper's entry is not a bad thing for republicans. he ran a disastrous race for president. he managed to actually make joe biden look young and spry in that race. i don't see any sign that the democrats will step aside for a guy who turned in a d-minus performance for president. i think it could potentially complicate their primary. even if he emerges as the nominee, and i am not sure he does, hickenlooper has not been seriously tested. the last republican he defeated and that isphaedo like beating roy moore. cory gardner is one of the most talented politicians of our generation. and i think he will turn in a good race. so hickenlooper being in, i don't think it changes the dynamic and may make it more competitive for us to keep this in the r column. susan: you have other competitive races. one that everyone has been talking about in recent days is maine, susan collins in office 1997. she is a republican who has present herself as bipartisan from working across the aisle, but now there is a real effort by the democrats. they think the

it's john hickenlooper. that was very good. it's john hickenlooper.or senate in colorado instead of president. they argue they could raise as much as $500,000 for him, and get the grass roots support he has been lacking. and they have talked with various democrats in colorado yearning for him to run for senate, and there are polling out that show among the ten democrats running for senate in colorado so far, hickenlooper would by far be the coloradoans choice, and he would win in a la landslide. >> i have seen democratic activists online, saying it's just as important to try to flip the senate as it is to win back the white house. >> the question is will he or won't he, and what conversation did you have with michael bennet in the car on friday. >> we'll see. >> alexa mchammond, thank you very much. to all of our viewers, sign up for the news later. >> i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside ayman mohyeldin, "morning joe" starts right now. >>> i love trucks of all types, even when i was a little boy at 4 years old, my mother would say you love trucks. i do.

. >> i'm john hickenlooper, candidate for united states senate. >>> and new scrutiny for donald trump's attorney general as we learn more from the jeffrey epstein investigation. >> and i think he made a rational calculated decision. >>> "all in" starts right now. good evening from new york, i'm chris hayes. this year has been the year in which the climate crisis has made itself the most ferociously known. that was true last year and the year before that and 2020 will almost certainly be worse, but this year we've already showed you this footage of greenland melting in front of our eyes. we've shown you the fire in siberia in the arctic where the underlying peat is burning, and these are the images that are capturing people's imaginations right now, rightly. much of the amazon is on fire. here is the smoke hovering over brazil's largest city soa paw low. i almost didn't want to put this on television because i find it so paralyzing terrible. it gives me the same feeling in the pit of my gut when i'm watching the chernobyl mini series. the reason this is so particularly horrifying is not

if john hickenlooper can win a seat.l explanation to voters in texas and the country about that? >> i'm running for president and i'm taking this fight directly to donald trump in large part because my community has borne the brunt of the consequences of donald trump. his open racism, his invitation to violence, the white terrorism that he's inspired that came to my community, drove 600 miles to my community and killed 22 of our fellow el pasoans, inspired in large part by this president. so what he's doing to america, what he's doing to my community the response of that is to take the fight directly to him and to defeat him and be the leader this country needs and does not have right now. someone who's not going to inflame but someone who's going to heal, someone who's not going to drive us apart but bring us together. someone who operates not with fear but inspires hope and believes in our fellow americans. that's the kind of leader that el paso has taught me to be. and when it comes to the texas senate race there are

hickenlooper is polling at 61% according to one survey in a crowded democratic primary.remaining colorado and is the presidential race michael bennet is also trying to recruit hickenlooper to the senate. >> i don't see any reason why he wouldn't be a phenomenal senator, but he's got to make his own decisions. >> let'sing realistic. he is setting up a timeline to get into that senate race. anyway, one of his now formal rivals is. again, former congressman beto o'rourke ran it out again while running in texas today. we're going to dig into that next. it's a beautiful piece of land. so why haven't you started building? tyler's off to college... and mom's getting older... and eventually we would like to retire. td ameritrade can help you build a plan for today and tomorrow. come with a goal. leave with a plan. td ameritrade. ♪ (pirate girl) ahoy!!!!! (excited squeal, giggling/panting) gotcha! (man) ah! (girl) nooooooooooooo! (man) nooooo! (girl) nooooo... (vo) quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty picks up messes quicker, and is two times more absorbent than the leading or

hickenlooper tweeted the decision a short time ago.s morning i am announcing that i'm no longer running for president. while this campaign did not have the outcome we were hoping for, every moment has been worthwhile and i am thankful to everyone who supported this campaign and our entire team." we have gotten some worried that something like this might happen and they were democratic groups pushing potentially for him to run for senate. so we are just updating now with the official confirmation that hickenlooper is out of the presidential race. we will keep watch on whether or not that means another door opens for him. let's move on. serious new questions about sexual predator jeffrey epstein's death after "the washington post" reported an autopsy found broken bones, plural, and a snack. which could be consistent either with suicide or by hanging or murder by strangulation. according to forensic experts. a justice department official tells the associated press more than half the staffers in the jail when epstein died were working on o

governor hickenlooper wondered whether he would be good at the job.ecause he's an excellent mayor and governor, if he decided to run he would be an excellent senator. so we got some good people in the race already in colorado. so we don't know what's going to happen, but that was mostly what the conversation was about. you know, my sense of it is that this is a moment when our democracy is really at risk. and it's up to all of us no matter what job we have, whether we're on the news or in the senate or teaching school or retired, each one of us has a responsibility to make sure our democracy gets through this and we come out on the other side somehow stronger and more united. >> and senator, was there a part of you that was thinking, yeah, john hickenlooper, run for senate. yeah, that's a good idea. and were you just thinking one less moderate for me to have to fight? >> it won't surprise you to know that john hickenlooper is smart enough to know of my self-interest and point it out to me. >> that's good. all right. so you have not -- correct me if i'

i think if hickenlooper runs, i think he wins.y got a really good shot in arizona. >> with mcsally losing to the astronaut. >> i think they would have a great shot in montana if bullock wanted to do it, but bullock is pretty firmly ruled it out. i think they would have a chance, but maybe, you know, not a great chance in texas. >> the parties are about evenly divided. why is it so damn hard to find chances for the democrats to net three? why is it so hard? >> the nature of how we can pose our senate. we do it by state, and there are just more red states than there are blue states. it's going to be very hard for democrats to take the senate. i think that some of the states that eugene pointed to are great examples. but i really think it's going to take a landslide by a democrat at the top of the ticket. that's the only way they pull across the senate. look at the midterm elections. trump still won in red states. republicans still won in red states. these states aren't abandoning trump. they're not going flip. and you look at montan

especially with hickenlooper in the race.most endangered republican incumbent in an analogy that john would appreciate, i think his chances of re-election are about the same now as the red sox chances of repeating as world champions. very tough. trump is at 40% consistently in the state. hard to -- as is gardner. then you go down to arizona where you have martha mcsally who was appointed to fill out the john mccain seat and is trailing again in recent polling against mark kelly, the democrat, with again trump under water in his approval in the state. and then maine where susan collins has been able to establish herself traditionally as an independent brand, much harder now in this polarized era. democrats have recruited a very strong challenger, the speaker of the state house. it's going to be tougher for her to win than in the past. of course the one democratic state that is the most engaged is doug jones in alabama. trump will probably win by a big margin. unless he gets roy moore again who is in the republican primary, it'

john hickenlooper has an established brand. he won two elections in colorado. statewide in very difficult democratic years, in 2010 and 2014. clearly, senate democrats believe that he's better equipped to take on cory gardner than the large field of candidates they have in the ring. >> so back in 2016, hillary won, hillary clinton won colorado by about 3 percentage points. another state she won by the same margin. maine is where republican senator susan collins is up for re-election. how is that race looking? >> susan collins has been in the senate. cory gardner -- democrats believe she may have forfeited the good will she had from democratic voters in maine by voting to confirm brett kavanaugh to the supreme court. it is an interesting race to watchful susan collins has always won reelections pretty easily in previous elections. so she would have to lose a lot of people who voted for her in the past for her to be threatened. democrats believe there's a path because of that kavanaugh vote. gardner in colorado is much lower hanging fruit for the party as it look

hickenlooper announced that he will run for the senate there. one would assume that he shoot to the top of the pack. does his presence in the race, does it clear the field or do democrats there still think this is going to be a dogfight? >> looks like it won't instantly clear the field. some democrats are already running and who will say let me at least see if i can get traction. hi hickenlooper made comments that the senate was not the place for him, so they will say why do you want on send him there. but two republican held seats in states that donald trump lost in 2016. so that explains why democrats were so aggressive in trying to get hickenlooper into this. >> how vulnerable is cory gardner? >> vulnerable. it is a state that is shaded more purple than red. certainly for republicans. and i think that cory recognizes it. but cory has been one of these guys who finds a way. he does have a real connection with his voters out there. they know him. and i think that they have a great deal of respect for him, you know, closeness to trump which is a

it sure looks like john hickenlooper may be changing his mind about that.mes "reports hickenlooper is now considering ending his white house bid and instead focusing on a run for the u.s. senate in colorado. the former governor is polling at 61% in a crowded primary to take on the very vulnerable republican incumbent cory gardner. now compare that where hickenlooper is struggling to crack single digits. even he is acknowledging he may be a short-timer on the presidential campaign trail. >> at a certain point if, you know, if i can't get myself beyond 2%, i'd be a fool to spend two years doing it. that's for sure. >> obviously hickenlooper is not the only 2020 democrat who some democrats are trying to convince to switch races. there are still recruiting steve bullock and beto o'rourke to run in their home states of montana and texas. we'll see about that when we come back. we'll dig into an issue that candidates are all talking about. guns. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ oh, come on. flo: don't worry. you're covered. (dramatic music) and you're saving money, because you bu

now, governor john hickenlooper. >> thank you, rachel. thank you for sitting out here in the hot sun. i have been out here for the last few hours. my job is to give you the reasons you will take home and tell your family and friends why that guy with the funny last name is the right guy for our next president. the job of beating donald trump not going to be easy. barack obama, ronald reagan were 42 and 43 respectively. trump has the stronger economy. focused to win back those states he took like pennsylvania, wisconsin, michigan. i would argue if you go back and years, wethe last 120 have never's -- never defeated an incumbent president with a sitting senator. with any senator. it has always been governors and former governors. that's because governors have to make the final decision. we have to balance the budget. and when we propose solutions to our problem we have to make sure we know how we are going to pay for them. i got laid off in that long recession of the 1980's and had to reinvent myself as a brewpub owner. we worked with other

yeah, i think one of the things about hickenlooper is it was a much needed centrist voice in a partyeft. with a statewide profile, with the reputation as a centrist and executive, already well known by the voters of colorado, he stands a much better chance. >> thanks, one and all. >>> a key issue threatening some democrats in next year's election. that's next. we didn't know where to turn for more information. that's why i recommend a free service called a place for mom. we have local senior living advisors who can answer your questions about dementia or memory care and, if necessary, help you find the right place for your mom or dad. we all want what's best for our parents, so call today. it's easy to move forward when you're ready for what comes next. at fidelity, we make sure you have a clear plan to cover the essentials in retirement, as well as all the things you want to do. and on the way, you'll get timely investment help to keep you on the right track, without the unnecessary fees you might expect from so many financial firms. because when you have a partner who gives you cla

john hickenlooper was a serious candidate or was for president.a someone like that can't get traction is very interesting and tells you something about the democratic party. >> it does. and also says something about the size of the field. when you have 24 candidates getting traction is a different equation than it is to appeal to 6 or 7 candidates. but i think you're right. joe biden is occupying a lot of that more centrist moderate space. and he's so well-known if you are really looking for somebody to be a counter balance to a left ward push of the party, you may just go with the guy democrats believe has the best chance of defeating trump. there was no way for hickenlooper to get a piece of that it seems. >> david chalian, thank you for giving us the lay of the political landscape. >> there's a lot going on this morning. we're watching the markets very, very closely. woman: (on phone) discover. hi. do you have a travel card? yep. our miles card. earn unlimited 1.5 miles and we'll match it at the end of your first year. nice! i'm thinking about

hickenlooper: he has done nothing to lower health care costs.t wants to take it away and replaced with what? nothing. what we should be doing is raising wages, addressing the high cost of health care, tackling climate change head-on, taking on immigration, and keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people. [applause] gov. hickenlooper: but if we are going to win back pennsylvania, michigan, wisconsin, we need a candidate that has a vision and a record, who has created jobs and knows how to do it. i'm the only candidate that has created jobs and made a payroll in small business trade and dramatically expanded our economy and the state of colorado as governor. this is a record of achievement and i believe that will be required to be donald trump in 2020. i got the job done in colorado. and i would be honored to do it again for america. thank you. [cheering] [applause] ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen welcome tom steyer. steyer: good evening. every candidate tonight shares a few basic attributes. we are more decent, more qualified, and more patriotic

a source close to former colorado governor john hickenlooper telling me late last night that hickenlooperpected to drop out of the race today. this as president trump heads to new hampshire to rally supporters in a state he lost by less than a point in 2016. there's another republican in new hampshire this week who still might jump in the race and challenge the president. and right now beto o'rourke speaking in el paso where he plans to lay out how he is going to reset his campaign again. here to talk through all of it the chairman of the new hampshire democratic party, my friend arthur brooks, happy to see you again, professor at the harvard kennedy school, and the former aei president, chris lu, back with us. hickenlooper expected to drop out. you think he'll have a senate race next? >> i hope he does because it is one of the three sets democrats need to get to 50 and he -- the latest poll shows he is up about 13 points over the incumbent senator so democrats i think are breathing a sigh of relief that this is a seat they can pull back. but i think you should expect there will be other

. >>> bob casey joins us next and john hickenlooper. lots to come. before that the founder being dubbed a gunman's megaphone is speaking with us collusively. we have this brand-new interview out this morning with the guy who started the website named 8chan is saying. that's right after the break. thk >>> bob casey joins us next and >>> bob casey joins us next and donald trump failed as a businessman. he borrowed billions and left a trail of bankruptcy and broken promises. he hasn't changed. i started a tiny investment business, and over 27 years, grew it successfully to 36 billion dollars. i'm tom steyer and i approve this message. i'm running for president because unlike other candidates, i can go head to head with donald trump on the economy, and expose him fo what he is: a fraud and a failure. >>> this morning we are bringing you a new nbc news exclusive interview. you are seeing it here first. an interview just into us from our team overseas with the founder of the gunman's megaphone, a site called 8chan. the shooter in el paso posted a racist ra