Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will run for governor of Colorado, Democratic and Republican officials tell The Associated Press.
Hickenlooper, a Democrat, will be seeking the party nomination.
The officials disclosed Hickenlooper's plans on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to pre-empt his announcement, expected later Tuesday at the state capitol.
Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter abruptly announced last week that he would not seek another term. Hickenlooper made it known just after that he was considering a run, and he was encouraged by President Barack Obama to do so.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar — a former Colorado U.S. senator — said last week he would not seek the governorship but endorsed a Hickenlooper run.
Former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff has also been mulling whether to jump into the Democratic race.
Among Republicans seeking the GOP nomination are former GOP Rep. Scott McInnis and Dan Maes, a businessman from the foothills town of Evergreen.
Facing a tough re-election campaign, Ritter announced last week he was abandoning this year's race. He cited a need to spend more time with family.
Ritter's decision caught party leaders off guard and boosted Republican hopes that McInnis can recapture the governorship of a key Western swing state.
McInnis had both outpolled Ritter in recent months and raised more money.
A fourth-generation Coloradan, McInnis served in the state Legislature before representing western Colorado's sprawling 3rd Congressional District from 1993 to 2005. Dan Maes, a businessman from the Denver suburb of Evergreen, is a longshot in the GOP race.
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