Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will not run for Colorado governor, the Denver Post reports. Instead, he will endorse Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.
“John Hickenlooper is a uniter. He transcends political and geographic divides to bring people together to develop solutions. If he decides to run, he will make an excellent Governor for the State of Colorado,” Salazar said in a statement.
Sources had told TPMDC that Salazar was “seriously considering” such a run, and the White House had reportedly told him they wouldn’t oppose a run.
Today, sources confirmed that national Democrats were talking to Salazar about a run. A Democratic source with knowledge of the process said they “didn’t know” what was behind Salazar’s choice not to run. Asked if Hickenlooper was the best “Plan B” for national Democrats hoping to hold the governor’s mansion in Colorado, the source said Democrats “love” Hickenlooper and called him “Plan A2.”
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter announced earlier this week that he would retire rather than run for re-election.
Additional reporting by Evan McMorris-Santoro
