Politics

Did Hickenlooper Rip Off Obama In 2020 Campaign Announcement Video?

Getty Images

Amber Athey Podcast Columnist
Font Size:

Former Colorado Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper seemed to swipe a phrase from former President Barack Obama in his 2020 campaign announcement video.

Hickenlooper, the latest Democrat to join a crowded 2020 field, called for “progressive change” in Washington and promised in his video to directly challenge President Donald Trump.

“I’m running for president because we’re facing a crisis that threatens everything we stand for,” Hickenlooper narrated over a photo of Trump. “Standing tall when it matters is one of the things that really drives me.”

However, when talking about his personal history, Hickenlooper used a phrase that sounded oddly similar to something Obama said during his 2004 national debut while running for Senate in Illinois. (RELATED: Former Colorado Governor Joins Growing List Of 2020 Dem Hopefuls)

WATCH:

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

Obama rallied Democrats at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston with a similar testimony about himself. According to an article about the speech from the Associated Press, “[Obama] drew laughter and applause with a reference to himself as ‘a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.'”

Obama’s 2004 speech was widely touted as the moment he became a rising star in the Democratic Party, and his quip about being the “skinny kid with a funny name” became one of the standout lines from the address.

Follow Amber on Twitter