John Hickenlooper believes his experience as governor of Colorado makes him the best person to defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election (CHIP SOMODEVILLA)

Washington (AFP) – Former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper on Monday announced his bid to be the Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, becoming the second US governor to join the crowded field seeking to take on US President Donald Trump.

In a video announcing his bid, Hickenlooper, 67, said he’s running for president “because we need dreamers in Washington, but we also need to get things done.”

Hickenlooper’s video shows his rise from unemployed geologist to beer pub owner to mayor of Denver, the state’s most populous city, and then on to governor.

“As a skinny kid with Coke bottle glasses and a funny last name, I’ve stood up to my fair share of bullies,” he says.

“I’ve proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver.”

Hickenlooper — Denver mayor from 2003 to 2011 and  state governor from 2011 to January 2019 — served for a time as chair of the National Governors Association. He is well known in Democratic leadership circles, but not to the larger public outside Colorado.

Also running are US senators Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar and Kirsten Gillibrand; Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, Obama-era housing secretary Julian Castro of Texas and Washington state Governor Jay Inslee.

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