John Hickenlooper says he probably would serve as Clinton’s running mate

By Summer Delaney and Alex Bregman

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, rumored to be on the short list of candidates to be Hillary Clinton’s running mate, said he “probably would” accept the job if offered.

“I love what I’m doing,” Hickenlooper, who supports Clinton, told Yahoo News Global Anchor Katie Couric, “but you know, to serve your country at that level would be an amazing honor … the vice president can play a real role in that, in helping solve some of the biggest problems in the country. I think I’d be a fool if I didn’t seriously look at it.”

Hickenlooper’s illustrious career has morphed from geologist to brewer to mayor and now governor; his latest title is author of the new book “The Opposite of Woe: My Life in Beer and Politics.” Through personal anecdotes and some laughs, Hickenlooper focuses not only on his proudest accomplishments but also some of his most private moments, from shoplifting to smoking pot.

“[If] you are going to write a book like this, I think you have to do everything you can until it hurts, till you feel physically uncomfortable, to be authentic and tell people the bad with the good, not just give the whitewash, ‘Here’s why John Hickenlooper is a good guy,’” he said.

He also added that his experience as a restaurant entrepreneur helped prepare him for many of the same problems politicians face: “You never have enough capital, you’ve got a diverse group of people you got to make into a great team and the public is always ticked off about something.”

Hickenlooper has been very candid about his stance on various state policy decisions, including Colorado’s controversial legalization of marijuana in 2012. Though he initially opposed the legalization and still has reservations about it, he told Couric that he is “cautiously optimistic” about its effect on the state.

“I used to say that after the election if I had this magic wand I would have reversed the vote,” said Hickenlooper. “Now I’m not sure I’d reverse the vote because I think we’ve made real progress it might be a way to have a better system come out of this.”

When discussing the 2016 campaign, the Clinton surrogate acknowledged that Sen. Bernie Sanders is “a remarkable person” and has “raised many good points.” He does not think the super-delegate system is rigged, saying in reference to Sanders’ candidacy, “There can be an energy in a populist campaign that isn’t always in the best interest of the party.”