July 11, 2017 11:18 AM UTC

Perlmutter Bows Out of 2018 Election

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• by: Colorado Pols

Congressman Ed Perlmutter (D-Jefferson County) announced this morning that he would not seek elected office in 2018, essentially signaling his retirement from public office after decades of service in the state legislature and Congress. Perlmutter had long been considered the frontrunner in the 2018 race for governor, but he admitted on Tuesday that the long grind of politics had finally taken its toll.

“I thought I could do it all,” said Perlmutter at a press conference at his Golden campaign office. “I’m telling all of you, I can’t.”

Perlmutter’s decision to exit the gubernatorial race was influenced in some degree by Rep. Jared Polis’ decision to join the field, but his announcement was more of a candid assessment that running for public office just wasn’t something he wanted to do anymore.

Perlmutter served in the state Senate from 1995-2003. He was first elected to Congress in CD-7 in 2006 and handily won re-election every two years (Perlmutter never failed to win by more than double-digits in any election year).

This decision creates a significant opening in the race for governor that will likely be filled by Polis. Perlmutter said on Tuesday that he did not plan to endorse any candidate for governor nor a successor in CD-7.

Maybe I’m moving from player to coach. @RepPerlmutter on dropping out of #copolitics Governor’s race and last 18 months in Congress. pic.twitter.com/EaYTL87xkL

— Marshall Zelinger (@Marshall9News) July 11, 2017

No question that Polis’ money and brains helped build CO’s Democratic Party but today reminds that Ed Perlmutter was kinda its beating heart

— Nick Riccardi (@NickRiccardi) July 11, 2017