DENVER—Democratic U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter said he won’t enter Colorado governor’s race.
Perlmutter said supporters asked him to run, but he loves his job representing Colorado’s 7th District.
The Denver Post reported that Perlmutter disclosed his decision on Monday.
Others considering the race after incumbent Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter dropped out last week include Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff.
On Friday, President Barack Obama called Hickenlooper to discuss Colorado’s open governor’s seat, the mayor’s spokesman said Saturday. It’s not clear whether the president urged him to run.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, a former U.S. senator from Colorado, has already endorsed Hickenlooper for governor, calling him a “uniter” who can transcend party and geographic lines.
Republican Scott McInnis, a former congressman, had already announced he would run for governor. Also in the GOP race is Dan Maes, a businessman from the foothills town of Evergreen.
