Gov. Ritter cites family concerns in decision to drop re-election bid

DENVER • On Wednesday, Democrats were without a candidate for governor and Colorado Republicans had lost their favorite target.

Gov. Bill Ritter, citing the need to focus more on his family, abruptly dropped from a race he said he thought he could win.

“I haven’t found the proper balance where my family is concerned and I have not made them the priority they should be,” Ritter said, his voice choked with emotion during a Wednesday morning press conference outside his office.

His decision was still sending shockwaves a day after it first leaked.

“I’m still surprised and a little disappointed,” said Rep. Mike Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs.

It also leaves both sides waiting to see how Ritter’s move could impact the General Assembly’s 120-day session that starts Wednesday, when lawmakers will have to tackle a $1 billion budget deficit.

Speculation was rampant Wednesday that one of three Democrats — Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, former state House speaker Andrew Romanoff and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper — would step up to November’s challenge. But the three weren’t talking about it Wednesday.

Ritter was a powerful campaigner in 2006, trouncing his Republican rival by 17 points. Ritter’s stock, though, has fallen, and Republican frontrunner Scott McInnis was off to an early lead in the governor’s race.
Ritter said he’s not worried that his exit will give Republicans any advantage.

“The Democratic party has a very deep bench,” Ritter said. “There are a lot of people who are able to step in.”

Ritter, 53, said he made the decision after spending his holidays trying to balance the needs of family with the challenges ahead. He and his wife have four children, two of whom, he said, still live at home.

Republicans, though, think politics, not family concerns, ran Ritter out of the race, said state Rep. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan.

“I think it’s a good excuse or a good cover for what’s really happening,” she said.

With 11 months to go before voters hit the polls, the GOP has momentum, Looper said.

“I think it’s great for the Republican Party,” she said.

Democrats were more sympathetic to Ritter’s family worries.

“I think it’s a legitimate position for the governor to take,” Merrifield said. “I don’t know what his family situation is like.”

Ritter will become the first governor in decades to serve only one term. Bill Owens served two terms, and before him, Roy Romer and Richard Lamm each served three. John Vanderhoof was governor in 1973-1975, taking over for Gov. John Love after he joined President Richard Nixon’s administration.

Now, Democrats are hurriedly looking for a candidate to throw their support to.

The Denver Post reports that the White House would not object if Salazar resigns his cabinet post to run for governor.

Merrifield said he’s intrigued by the idea of Romanoff stepping into the race. Romanoff is now challenging Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in a primary for that seat.

A move by Romanoff would stop a costly Senate primary and put a well-known campaigner in the governor’s race.

But long before the election, state lawmakers must figure a way out of a budget hole caused by the recession.

Ritter last month said he wanted to spread the pain across state agencies with a series of cuts, including more than $200 million from schools. He also touted tax hikes that would affect candy, sugary drinks and some business expenses, among others.

Ritter said dropping out of the race will allow him to work with the Legislature without the shackles of election-year politics.

“I’ll be able to make the tough and unpopular decisions that sometimes need to get made,” Ritter said.

Rep. Sal Pace, D-Pueblo, said Ritter’s decision will deflate some of the strident arguments expected this session as political parties posture for November.

“I think it is going to make the session less acrimonious,” he said.

Colorado Springs Republican Rep. Kent Lambert, who spent Wednesday morning in meetings of the state’s Joint Budget Committee, said Ritter’s decision won’t make fixing the state’s budget crisis any easier.

“There’s still going to be a lot to do,” he said.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.