The Extraordinary Humbling of John Hickenlooper

[Where will John Hickenlooper stand during the CNN debates? Here are the lineups.]

After months of internal friction and, according to Mr. Hickenlooper, a meeting at which several senior advisers suggested he drop out and run for the Senate, his new and remaining aides say this is their most viable strategy: letting Mr. Hickenlooper be himself. His circle now comprises a mix of true believers determined to see him shine and mercenary professionals happy to attach themselves to a presidential campaign. Recent hires have included veterans of the stalled prospective candidacy of Howard Schultz, the billionaire former chief executive of Starbucks, and the failed Chicago mayoral bid of William M. Daley.

There have been kinks.

“Somebody told me you like milkshakes,” Peter Cunningham, Mr. Hickenlooper’s new communications director, told him from behind the wheel of their New Hampshire rental car. Mr. Cunningham gestured toward the strawberry and chocolate shakes he had procured between events. Mr. Hickenlooper’s face fell a bit. “Vanilla milkshakes,” he said. He settled for strawberry.

But Mr. Hickenlooper has also retained admirers deeply committed to his cause. He was joined in Hanover by a friend and supporter, Minyoung Sohn, who appeared to choke up while introducing him. “I’m here because I love this man, John Hickenlooper,” he said. “I know we’re only polling one percent, but we’ve got a plan.”

Alan Salazar, a former senior Hickenlooper aide in Colorado, suggested it was a mistake to ever count him out. “Lightning can strike,” he said.

Mr. Hickenlooper appears genuinely surprised that it hasn’t yet, after years of bending local politics to his whims. As he prepared to enter the race several months ago, he privately assured associates he had a handle on how to distinguish himself.

“What struck me was how confident he was,” recalled Gary Hart, the former Colorado senator and two-time presidential candidate to whom Mr. Hickenlooper made a pilgrimage for a meeting before his 2020 run. “I just said, ‘John, it really costs a lot of money.’ He said, ‘I’ve got that covered, I have a lot of wealthy friends and friends who know wealthy people who have committed to raise whatever it takes.’ That made me a little nervous.”