Denver mayor jumps in Colorado governor's race
(CNN) - Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will formally enter the race for Colorado governor Tuesday, a Democratic source confirms to CNN.
Hickenlooper's decision gives Democrats a strong chance of keeping the seat after Gov. Bill Ritter announced last week that he would not seek a second term.
Hickenlooper has been talking to national Democrats about running for the seat since Ritter said he was going to retire. Last Thursday, Hickenlooper won the endorsement of Ken Salazar, the former Colorado senator who now serves as President Obama's Interior Secretary.
"John Hickenlooper is a uniter," Salazar said in a statement. "If he decides to run, he will make an excellent Governor for the State of Colorado."
Former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff is reportedly considering dropping his Democratic primary challenge to Sen. Michael Bennet to run for governor.
Former Rep. Scott McInnis is the likely Republican gubernatorial nominee.
- CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
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Anyone but a republican!
"Hickenlooper has been talking to national Democrats"
Another case of National political interests dipping their nasty little fingers into state and local interests. This is what keep politics dirty.
No money, endorsements, or influence of any kind should ever be allowed from outside the state when dealing with Local, State, US Congress and US Senate races.
This is a great opportunity for the State of Colorado. Hick brought the City of Denver into the modern era and he will do the same for the State. The Republicans will try to cut him down with their hate. They drove Ritter out and now he is going to be replaced with a better candidate. The future of Colorado is looking as bright as a sunny Colorado afternoon.
Colo. is in flux. Bennet , Hickenlooper both must go. The same old same old, giving into the national Dem belief of federal and statist control plus dissing both capitalism and our military superiority. I think Mcinnis is a good person for Colo. independence conserv-Center Rights needs. With each Dem elected, the nation falls into a socialist-pacifist trap. The GOP needs Libertarian, Reagan Dem, and Indies there and in all the states which Dems try to fool the public again as they have in 2006-08. If that happens, the drive to radicalize our nation will at least staunched.
This would never happen in New Yorke.
He has my vote!!
Just what the country needs-- another "uniter" like the one in the White House was advertised to be.
Go Scott McInnis!
Don't worry, CNN - I live in Colorado and will NOT be voting for Hickenlooper.
Good to have someone who can kick some republican butt!
This looks like an interesting race on the surface but ultimately won't even be close. Neither Hickenlooper nor McInnis is extreme in their views. However, McInnis was only guaranteed his party's nomination if he agreed to a platform that aligns him with the extreme right wing of Colorado Republicans. He has had Romney-like epiphanies, flip-flopping on same-sex marriage and abortion, whereas Hickenlooper has been a consistently moderate and extremely popular mayor of Denver. He has never been afraid to reach across the aisle to get things accomplished. Look for the Colorado Springs/Western Slope Teabaggers to kill their own in the interest of "purity," guaranteeing Hick in a landslide.
I'm from Denver and I like Mayor Hickenlooper. I think he will be a good governor.
If anyone out there is in need of a good laugh (aren't we all?), I encourage you to read Miami Herald columnist Dave Barry's column about his visit to Denver during the Democratic National Convention. His inability to get past the fact that the Mayor's name is Hickenlooper makes it worth reading.