Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has not officially announced his re-election run, but he is sitting on a campaign war chest of about $590,000 and spent nearly $150,000 on the campaign.
The Hickenlooper campaign raised more than $112,000 in the month of February alone.
The contributions amount to almost $90,000 more than Hickenlooper raised at this point in his 2003 campaign – when he was facing seven other candidates.
“We are very pleased,” said Lynea Hansen, the mayor’s campaign manger. “I think it just goes to show what a strong and popular mayor we have.”
Of the $112,000 Hickenlooper raised in February, nearly $60,000 came from outside the city of Denver. Slightly less than $20,000 of that came from outside the state.
“John Hickenlooper enjoys support from his friends and family all across the nation,” Hansen said.
The mayor is expected to cruise through this campaign – a poll conducted for The Denver Post at the end of last year showed approval ratings of 70 percent.
But he will have an opponent.
Dan Lopez, a city of Denver employee, collected enough signatures to be on the ballot.
Lopez said he has not raised any campaign money so far.
The Public Works employee said that beating Hickenlooper would amount to “pulling off the biggest upset in the history of politics.”
But Lopez is hoping even a meager campaign will allow him to voice frustration about pay for city employees and give any disgruntled voters another choice.
“My hope is that every time they see a Hickenlooper ad they will know that Dan Lopez is the alternative,” he said.
As for the mayor, he is expected to make a formal announcement soon.
Without a well-funded opponent, Hickenlooper has asked donors to contribute to the Denver Foundation’s drive for a Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. So far, $511 has come through his campaign to a fund for the memorial.
Hickenlooper is required to turn in signatures to get on the ballot by Wednesday.
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 303-954-1657 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
