May 31, 2013 10:30 AM UTC

State of the Attorney General Race: In Flux

•  
• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE: Per the Colorado Statesman's Peter Marcus, Boulder DA Stan Garnett leans against running:

“I would like to run for state office again at some point; this is not a good time for me personally,” he said. “And I also don’t want the people of Boulder County to think that I’m always turning around and running for something else. I’ve got another eight years I can be district attorney in Boulder, so I think it’s unlikely I’ll get in the race.”

—–

The Denver Post's Lynn Bartels reports:

So far, only Democrat Don Quick has filed to run for Colorado attorney general next year, but at least three Republicans are being viewed as serious contenders…

The Republicans mentioned most often are Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, House Minority Leader Mark Waller and Cynthia Coffman, the chief deputy attorney general who is Suthers' No. 2.

On the GOP side, most of the recent discussion has revolved around House Minority Leader Mark Waller–particularly after it was revealed that Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, previously considered a frontrunner for the GOP nomination, was battling an advanced stage of lymphoma. Since then, Buck's cancer has gone into remission, and Bartels reports that a push for Buck to run may be renewed. A third possible candidate, assistant AG Cynthia Coffman (spouse of Rep. Mike Coffman) gets a mention in Bartels' story today, but we can't say at this point where she would stand in relation to either Waller or Buck–both known political brands.

Democrats have one candidate for the post so far in the form of Adams County District Attorney Don Quick. Despite some early backing from Quick's former boss Ken Salazar, we can confirm that a large number of Democrats are waiting for Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett or Colorado Senate Majority Leader Morgan Carroll to make a decision on 2014. Our understanding is that either Garnett or Carroll could well have enough support to take the nomination, and wouldn't be deterred by Quick or the initial support he has received from getting into the race.

We'll be watching to see how the dance resolves on both sides–in kumbaya, or primaries.