On January 11, 2011, Hickenlooper was sworn in as the 42nd governor of Colorado after winning by 15 points. He was the second Denver mayor ever elected governor. His victory was a landslide despite Democrats' poor results overall in the 2010 elections. Republicans flipped twelve governorships nationwide in 2010. NPR described Hickenlooper as having a "pro-business centrist profile" and as "known to try to build consensus and compromise on tough issues", while 5280 called him as "one of those unicorn-rare, truly apolitical politicians", noting support from business leaders and some Republicans. On December 4, 2012, Hickenlooper was elected to serve as vice chair of the Democratic Governors Association. On August 25, 2017, it was reported that Republican Governor of Ohio John Kasich was considering the possibility of a 2020 unity ticket to run against Donald Trump, with Hickenlooper as vice president. Constitutionally limited to two consecutive terms, Hickenlooper could not run for governor in 2018. On June 5, 2020, the Colorado Independent Ethics Commission fined Hickenlooper $2,750 for twice violating Colorado's gift ban as governor. Hickenlooper received a flight on a private jet owned by homebuilder and donor Larry Mizel, the founder of MDC Holdings. He also received private security and a ride to the airport in a Maserati limousine on a trip to the Bilderberg Meetings in Italy. The state spent an estimated $127,000 in attorney's fees investigating the violation. U.S. Senate Elections 2020 Hickenlooper had previously been considered the front-runner to fill the United States Senate seat to be vacated by Ken Salazar upon his confirmation as Secretary of the Interior in the Obama administration. He confirmed his interest in the seat. But on January 3, 2009, Governor Bill Ritter appointed Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet to the position. Bennet previously served as Hickenlooper's chief of staff. In a YouTube video published to his campaign channel on August 22, 2019, Hickenlooper announced that he would run for the United States Senate in 2020. Some preliminary polling data showed him with a substantial lead against incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Cory Gardner. Hickenlooper was also leading the Democratic primary field by a fairly wide margin before he announced. He was quickly endorsed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, a move protested by candidates already running before Hickenlooper's entry. On June 30, Hickenlooper defeated former state house Speaker Andrew Romanoff in the Democratic primary, winning the nomination to challenge one-term