Hickenlooper says he'd suspend death penalty as president

The Hill

Former Colorado Governor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper, said Wednesday that he would suspend the death penalty if he were elected to the White House.

Hickenlooper, who officially launched his presidential campaign earlier this month, said the death penalty "makes no sense" during a CNN presidential town hall in Atlanta.

“It’s expensive, it prolongs misery, and the worst thing, it is random. Depending on where that crime occurs and, in many cases, whether the killer is African American or Latino, that has a lot to do with who gets tried on a death penalty charge," he said. "The random injustice of that is something this country should never stand for.”

“The vast majority of cases in the federal death penalty system, I’d have to be suspicious just to start,” he added. “I certainly would suspend the death penalty.”