Aug 24, 2018

Hickenlooper likely to face progressive backlash in possible 2020 run

Photo: Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images

One of the lead organizers of an anti-fracking ballot initiative in Colorado said this week the state's Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper would alienate himself from progressives if he ran for president given his support for the oil industry.

Driving the news: At an event hosted by Axios in Denver Friday, the outgoing governor said he has been talking to people for advice, discussing the sacrifices involved were he to run for president in 2020.

The details: Anne Lee Foster, an organizer of the ballot initiative that would significantly curtail the state's curtail oil and gas development, said Hickenlooper wouldn't have the support of many progressives in the state because of his outspoken support of the industry. Progressive leaders and activist environmental groups at the national level have similar sentiments.

Hickenlooper, a former geologist, said once he drank the fluid companies use in fracking, a controversial oil and gas extraction method, as a way to emphasize the strides the industry has made to make the process safe.

Bottom line: On environmental and energy issues, Hickenlooper would be in similar spot with environmentalists and the oil industry as Hillary Clinton was, which is to say: frequent tension with the former and muted relations with the latter.

Go deeper: Colorado's fracking fight poised for ballot

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Coronavirus dashboard

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Global: Total confirmed cases as of 2 p.m. ET: 1,309, 439 — Total deaths: 72,638 — Total recoveries: 273,546 — Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 2 p.m. ET: 347, 003 — Total deaths: 10,335 — Total recoveries: 18,953 — Map.
2020 update: Wisconsin governor issues executive order to delay in-person primary voting until June.
Public health latest: Asymptomatic children could play important role in coronavirus spread, new data from the CDC shows.
States' latest: West coast states send ventilators to New York and other states experiencing a more immediate need — Data suggests coronavirus curve may be flattening in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
Jobs latest: Unemployment could already be at 13% "and moving higher," per former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.
What should I do? Pets, moving and personal health. Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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Wisconsin governor issues order to delay in-person primary voting until June

Photo: Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) issued an executive order Monday delaying in-person voting for the state's primary election — currently scheduled for Tuesday — until June 9.

Why it matters: Wisconsin was slated to be the only state to vote on Tuesday amid the coronavirus pandemic, despite having a stay-at-home order in place.

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Rebecca Falconer, Orion Rummler, Marisa Fernandez

U.S. coronavirus updates: Death toll reaches 10,000

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

Recorded deaths from the novel coronavirus surpassed 10,000 in the U.S. on Monday, per Johns Hopkins data. More than 1,000 people in the U.S. have died of coronavirus-related conditions each day since April 1.

Why it matters: U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said on Sunday the coming week will be "the hardest and saddest week of most Americans' lives" — calling it our "our Pearl Harbor, our 9/11 moment."

Go deeperUpdated 41 mins ago - Health