AP sources: Denver mayor Hickenlooper running for Colorado governor

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AP sources: Denver mayor running for Colorado gov

DENVER — Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, will run for governor of Colorado, Democratic and Republican officials told The Associated Press Tuesday.

The officials disclosed Hickenlooper’s plans on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to pre-empt his announcement, expected later Tuesday at the state capitol.

Facing a tough re-election challenge, Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter abruptly announced last week that he would not seek another term. Hickenlooper made it known that he was considering a run, and he was encouraged by President Barack Obama to do so.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar — a former Colorado U.S. senator — said last week he would not seek the governorship but endorsed a Hickenlooper run.

Former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff also has been mulling whether to jump into the Democratic race.

Among Republicans seeking the GOP nomination are former GOP Rep. Scott McInnis and Dan Maes, a businessman from the foothills town of Evergreen.

Ritter’s decision caught party leaders off guard and boosted Republican hopes that McInnis can recapture the governorship of a key Western swing state. McInnis had both outpolled Ritter in recent months and raised more money.

A fourth-generation Coloradan, McInnis served in the state Legislature before representing western Colorado’s sprawling 3rd Congressional District from 1993 to 2005. Dan Maes, a businessman from the Denver suburb of Evergreen, is a long shot in the GOP race.

McInnis has said it didn’t matter to him who runs on the Democrat side. “The question is how they can defend the Democratic platform. It’s going to come back to jobs and they don’t have an agenda,” he said.

Colorado Republican Party chairman Dick Wadhams said Hickenlooper would embrace the same policies as Ritter, including increased fees to help close the state’s budget gap.

“Mayor ‘Hickenritter’ offers nothing different from the failed policies of the last three years that drove Bill Ritter from running for re-election. Hickenlooper is nothing more than a quirky version of Governor Bill Ritter,” Wadhams said.

Hickenlooper, a geologist and restaurateur, won Denver’s mayoral race in 2003 with television ads depicting him fighting a one-man battle against Denver’s hated parking meters. In 2007, he won re-election with 87 percent of the vote.

As mayor, Hickenlooper helped persuade Democrats to hold their 2008 National Democratic Convention in Denver, bringing world attention to the Mile High City. He announced a 10-year campaign to end homelessness in the city — one frustrated by the economy — and promoted the use of “green” vehicles for the city’s transportation fleet.

Hickenlooper infuriated Republicans by supporting a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants while denying claims he was trying to make Denver a “sanctuary city.”

The shake-up in Colorado’s governor’s race comes as national Democrats are seeking to maintain their 26-24 majority. Winners will oversee the redrawing of congressional and legislative districts for the next decade.

Colorado became friendly ground for Democrats after 2000, thanks to population growth, especially among Latinos. Democrats picked up control of the governor’s mansion, both chambers of the state Legislature, both U.S. Senate seats and five of seven seats in Congress.

Ritter succeeded Republican Bill Owens, who was term-limited, by defeating Republican Rep. Bob Beauprez in 2006.

Ritter faced a fight as Colorado — operating under voter-approved limits on tax increases and spending — struggles with a projected $1.5 billion budget deficit for the current fiscal year and the fiscal year that begins in July.

John Straayer, a political science professor at Colorado State University, said the state’s gubernatorial candidates are balancing party loyalty with the prospect of a job that will be relatively thankless for the next for years.

“What do you get if you win? You get a state with unworkable fiscal policies,” Straayer said.

AP National Political Writer Liz Sidoti contributed to this report from Washington. Associated Press Writer Colleen Slevin reported from Denver.