It was all handshakes and harmony Tuesday when the candidates squaring off in the race for Denver mayor sat down for lunch.
Mayor John Hickenlooper invited public works employee Danny Lopez to Pints Pub so the two could get to know each other over soup and salad.
Lopez admits he’s a long shot – equating his campaign against the mayor to a “David and Goliath” struggle.
But he said the mayor should have a challenger.
The two couldn’t say enough about each other after about an hour of visiting. They even laughed when Lopez accidently spilled a drink that dripped onto the mayor’s lap.
“I thoroughly enjoyed it,” Hickenlooper said of the meeting, calling Lopez a “nice guy” and “a good example of what makes this city great.”
Lopez said he was even a little bit star-struck.
“How many times does an average, hard-working family man get to have lunch with the mayor?” he said. “And John bought lunch.”
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 303-954-1657 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
