Hickenlooper says he “tripped” on question about Black Lives Matter as race becomes a campaign issue

Democratic candidate Andrew Romanoff pounces on his rival’s misstep, which came a week before mail ballots go to voters

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper speaks to reporters on Aug. 22, 2019, in Golden, the day he announced he was running for U.S. Senate.
Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper speaks to reporters on Aug. 22, 2019, in Golden, the day he announced he was running for U.S. Senate. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)

John Hickenlooper, the national Democratic favorite in Colorado’s U.S. Senate race, is backtracking from a statement he made about Black Lives Matter during a racial-justice forum, saying, “I tripped over my words.”

The former governor bumbled the first question in an online candidate forum Saturday hosted by a coalition of advocacy organizations for people of color. The forum took place as protests about the death of George Floyd unfurled across the nation, injecting race more firmly into the June 30 Democratic primary a week before ballots land in voters’ mailboxes.

When asked at the forum what Black Lives Matter means to him, Hickenlooper initially didn’t answer the question. Asked again by the forum moderator, he replied: “Black Lives Matter means that every life matters.”

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