Former State Senator Michael Johnston (44) has suspended his campaign for U.S. Senate. His departure is linked to former Governor John Hickenlooper's entry into the race.
To beat Hickenlopper Johnston would have had to go negative. He says "The campaign we would need to run to win this race would violate my basic values in politics and could risk losing this Senate seat."
KOA political analyst, Floyd Ciruli, says Johnston's departure shows just how much Hickenlooper is dominating the race. While Johnston was the lead fund raiser in the large democratic field, polls showed him a distant second to Hickenlooper.
Ciruli says other candidates in the race may now be finding it difficult to raise money as the party establishment seems to be rallying around Hickenlooper.