February 16, 2009 06:40 PM UTC

Hillman: No 2010 Run For Office

•  
• by: Colorado Pols

One of the more viable Republicans to contend in his choice of several races next year bows out. From the AP:

A prominent Republican considered a candidate in 2010 has told supporters he doesn’t plan to seek office.

The Daily Sentinel newspaper reports that Mark Hillman has e-mailed supporters saying he will not seek office in 2010, not specifying which office.

Hillman was a state senator for seven years, rising to become Republican leader in that chamber. He was also briefly state treasurer from 2005 to 2006 when then-treasurer Mike Coffman was deployed to serve in Iraq.

Hillman ran for a full term as state treasurer in 2006, but he lost to Democrat Cary Kennedy. The Burlington resident now maintains a conservative blog and is a working wheat farmer.

If this remains the case (people can always change their minds, after all), it opens the door to state Rep. Cory Gardner’s anticipated run against Democrat Betsy Markey in CD-4 without serious primary opposition. It also removes a potentially strong opponent to appointed Sen. Michael Bennet, who most agree would be more threatened by a “new guard” Republican like Hillman than any of the has-beens currently floating their name (see Big Line).

One intriguing possibility that remains for Hillman is a by-now unlikely move to challenge GOP chairman Dick Wadhams in party leadership elections next month. Hillman, you’ll recall, was one of a slew of names that were mentioned as possible candidates for Wadhams’ job late last year–as talk of replacing Wadhams peaked after 2008’s humiliating GOP defeats.

We kind of doubt that’s what’s going on at this point, since the consensus is that Wadhams has effectively silenced his critics, but it’s a possibility–just like it’s a possibility that Hillman took a hard look at the playing field in 2010 and decided not to risk another 2006.