Gov. Hickenlooper & Gov. Kasich: A Unity Ticket?
By Shaun Boyd
DENVER (CBS4)- Gov. John Hickenlooper says he can't even imagine a unity ticket with his republican counterpart, Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
"He would demand I had to be the Vice Presidential candidate and I would demand that he had to be the Vice Presidential candidate," Hickenlooper joked.
Social Media blew up Thursday when CNN ran a story saying the two were in discussions, citing a source.
Hickenlooper, however, told CBS4, "We have never sat down and talked about it. We have not made any plans."
Since the duo teamed up on health care reform, they have been bi-partisan peas-in-a-pod.
At a joint press conference this summer, Kasich said, "John's an entrepreneur and a common sense guy and I've liked him from the time I met him."
But, presidential peas-in-a-pod?
Republican analyst Dick Wadhams says, no way, "Every election, every presidential, we have folks who decide that this is the year for an independent candidacy to win because conditions are ripe for two parties to be rejected and it never works that way."
In part, he says, because of the party's vast infrastructure including fundraising, volunteers, and get-out-the-vote machines.
Hickenlooper says he knows it's not feasible, "Both parties would go ballistic and do everything they can to discredit and torpedo whichever two people from the two parties try to create a third party."
Still, he admits it's fun to talk about, "I will say I've gotten texts today from people I haven't heard from in ages saying 'What a great idea. I'm 100 percent on board.' I've texted back each one saying 'Not going to happen.' John Kasich – let's put this way - he's more worldly, more sophisticated but he doesn't know nada about beer."
Shaun Boyd is CBS4's political specialist. She's a veteran reporter with more than 25 years of experience. Follow her on Twitter @cbs4shaun.