June 10, 2009 05:23 PM UTC

Hickenlooper Nips Ritter Primary Rumor In Bud

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• by: Colorado Pols

As the Denver Post reports:

Some of the state’s movers and shakers have unsuccessfully tried to get Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper to challenge Gov. Bill Ritter in a primary next year.

Hickenlooper confirmed Tuesday that he’s been offered campaign donations and a peek at flattering polls.

He said he’s told everyone “no,” and not just because he and Ritter are both Democrats.

Hickenlooper said he would decline even if a Republican held the governor’s seat because he thinks it would be bad for Colorado to have the governor and the Denver mayor duking it out on the campaign trail.

“If I were to even consider it, what would happen is immediately the supporters of the governor would try to cause trouble with the things I’ve been working on, and my supporters would be causing mischief with the governor’s initiatives,” Hickenlooper said.

“And that’s crazy. That’s the opposite of what I’ve been working for.”

For all the animosity that has recently surfaced between Bill Ritter and key components of the Democratic base, it’s a simple fact that there are only two or three names out there who could manifest as a serious primary threat to him. Any of those individuals who might be considering such a challenge must weigh the odds of success against the consequences of not just failure, but the bitter and divisive intraparty struggle that would still accompany success.

Which was apparently enough for Mayor Hickenlooper, as viable a candidate as anybody we know. And though your mileage may vary, the Post continues:

Hickenlooper, for his part, said he believes Ritter has done “a very good job in certain areas.”

“He hasn’t been perfect but neither have I,” the mayor said, declining to offer specifics.