Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper departs Tuesday for his first visit to Iowa — and early presidential battleground — and Ohio Gov. John Kasich is taking notice.
“I see my friend @hickforco is headed to Iowa. They say no one goes there by accident…,” Kasich posted to Twitter with a GIF of an expectant Steve Carell.
I see my friend is headed to Iowa. They say no one goes there by accident…
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich)
Hickenlooper responded in kind with a tweet that read: “Hey friend. Thatap rich! … What are you up to in New Hampshire???” and a GIF of Ryan Reynolds dramatically rolling his eyes.
Hey friend. Thatap rich! We were invited by the IA Republican Gov to talk apprenticeship renaissance & STEM @futurereadyiowa . What are you up to in New Hampshire???
— John Hickenlooper (@Hickenlooper)
The jab refers to Kasich’s with a bid for the White House — the Ohio governor is headed to New Hampshire this week — after he lost the party’s nomination in 2016.
Hickenlooper maintains that the visit is not political, but instead an official visit to attend a workforce development forum at the request of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. In a brief interview Monday, Hickenlooper said prominent Iowa Democrats contacted him and offered to help organize a political event for him to speak but he declined — in part because of how it would look.
Hickenlooper goes to great lengths to emphasize that he is not pursuing a presidential bid in 2020 against Donald Trump, but a report in The Post revealed he attended numerous meetings in recent months with top-level national political players and more than a dozen Democratic insiders and that Hickenlooper allies said he is moving closer than ever to a potential run.
From Iowa, Hickenlooper is traveling to New York for some national media interviews and then traveling to Washington, D.C., where he will spend two days at speaking events.
Earlier in the day, he signed Senate Bill 2, his top legislative priority which would pump more money into expanding broadband to rural Colorado.
Hickenlooper will sign his top legislative priority into law this afternoon before leaving for Iowa on Tuesday, then traveling to NYC on Wednesday and D.C. on Thursday and Friday.
Why? Here's a hint:— John Frank (@ByJohnFrank)