Why Hickenlooper Won So Decisively
June 3, 2003 - John Hickenlooper decisively won Denver’s mayoral election because he set the terms of the debate and defined the meta-theme of this election - “business as usual will not cut it.” The candidate, who determines what an election is all about, always wins it.
His victory showed Colorado Democrats that, to build a progressive majority coalition, candidates must have a clear, compelling and understandable mainstream message that addresses voters’ broad concerns and communicates a strong unifying sense of public purpose.
His campaign embraced traditional progressive values and advanced them in ways that address changing times, focusing on genuine and relevant reform. Articulated through visionary governing themes, his fresh, innovative and practical ideas championed the values and broad interests of Denverites.
Hickenlooper’s consistent “New Democrat” messages were on target with voter priorities and appealed across constituencies - reviving a sluggish economy, injecting entrepreneurialism into government and solving the city’s significant budgetary problems. He emphasized spending taxpayer money wisely and expanding opportunity through private-sector growth, along with respect and tolerance for everyone and a government that empowers people, not one that takes care of them.
His message and ideas drove everything else in his campaign, including fund-raising, recruiting volunteers and generating political support. He distilled that agenda into engaging television ads that used clever and understandable metaphors to explain his candidacy.
Hickenlooper prevailed because he realized that majorities are built around values and ideas, not narrow appeals to special-interest groups. Tellingly, he helped keep his message consistent by refusing offers from independent organizations who try to help their endorsed candidates. These groups usually emphasize a narrow set of issues they consider important, often confusing their favorite candidate’s message.
Democrats around the state should take Hickenlooper’s lead and realize that today’s politics requires understanding the everyday problems facing people, articulating a clear, forward-looking vision and advocating innovative solutions, rooted in mainstream values. Winning the battle of ideas must become the central focus. Voters want fiscally responsible solutions and progress on those issues that affect them on a daily basis.
Ordinary voters do not see the debate in terms of liberal vs. conservative, but as a battle between those clinging to the familiar past and others willing to embrace an uncertain future with new ideas. They are seeking a new kind of public activism that equips citizens, families, and communities with the tools they need to solve their own problems.
If other state Democrats learn the right lessons from the extraordinarily successful campaign of Denver’s new Mayor-Elect, better days are sure to be ahead for the Democratic Party.