Presidential candidate John Hickenlooper said he watched 'Deep Throat' with his mom
Presidential hopeful John Hickenlooper hopes his portrayal as a pragmatist and his background as a restauranteur will lift him to the Oval Office.
But he's likely not relying on winning over voters with the story he told Wednesday during a CNN town hall.
The former Democratic governor of Colorado explained how he once took his mother to see the adult film "Deep Throat" with him and a friend.
Hickenlooper recounts the story in a 2016 memoir, the Denver Post reported. But moderator Dana Bash made a point to ask about it during the televised town hall in front a live audience.
As the candidate tells it, according to CNN, the incident happened when an 18-year-old Hickenlooper returned home to see his mother after being away at college. He'd promised a friend he'd see the film in a theatre with him, but Hickenlooper claims they "didn't know what an X-movie was."
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Hickenlooper asked his mother if she would like to come along, CNN reported.
"She said, 'I'd love to go' because she didn't want to be left alone in the house again. So I took my mother to see 'Deep Throat,'" he told the crowd.
Hickenlooper described his mother as "mortified" at the popular 1970s adult film, but he said she insisted on staying because she'd bought a ticket – this despite his pleas to go, CNN reported.
On the way home, Hickenlooper recounted, his mother complimented the movie's "very good" lighting.
Hickenlooper officially entered the race for the 2020 Democratic nomination on March 4 and has touted his experience as a businessman. He started his career as a geologist, but was laid off. He then went on to build brewpubs across the Midwest before mounting a successful bid for mayor of Denver in 2003. He served as Colorado governor from 2011 to January 2019.
Contributing: Nick Coltrain, Fort Collins Coloradoan
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Presidential candidate John Hickenlooper said he watched 'Deep Throat' with his mom
