
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
The Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade requires "systemic, structural changes" to our democracy, Colorado U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper says.
What's new: In an exclusive interview with Axios Denver, the first-term Democrat said he won't support expanding the court to counter its current conservative slant, as some other Democrats are demanding.
- "This is where you begin looking at options, but I haven't gotten there yet," Hickenlooper said, ruling out the idea after previously avoiding a definitive answer.
Instead he is thinking beyond the court to "level out" the extreme partisan reflexes in Washington, D.C. He endorsed ranked-choice voting, and said he's looking at other changes to how Americans vote.
- Referring to social media, he said "we are letting those influences go unabated, untethered, unrestrained into this old way of deciding who gets elected."
Yes, but: Even Hickenlooper acknowledged he's not sure his forthcoming ideas will work.
Context: In December, he endorsed changes to end the filibuster rule in the U.S. Senate to allow legislation to pass by a simple majority, staking out ground on an issue he refused to fully address during his 2020 campaign.
The intrigue: Since the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, Hickenlooper told an audience at Tattered Cover on Sunday that he's repeatedly asked to take action to counter the ruling.
- His answer: "What we've got to do is win elections. And we have not done a good enough job winning elections in all the states."

Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Denver.
More Denver stories
No stories could be found

Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Denver.