Follow up on Yesterday – a few quick points – Ritter To Drop Out of Governor’s Race

1. If you haven’t heard by now (those in Colorado),  Colorado Governor Bill Ritter  has announced this morning that he will not run for re-election in 2010, shaking up the political map of the state a bit. It is too early to speculate very much about `why’ or how this opens up things in the upcoming gubernatorial contest. There will be plenty of speculation of both his political and personal life. I’ll reserve my own for several weeks until some of the dust – and other speculation – settles. While I am a little surprised, it’s not that much. Ritter has become very unpopular, not just among Republicans, but in Democratic Party circles here as well.

2. Ed Quillen had a piece in Sunday’s (January 4, 2010) Denver Post which touches on many of the themes I wrote about yesterday. I had not seen his article until after writing mine. Interesting that despite the attempts of the Republican Party’s big rollers to avoid a primary fight in the governor’s race (by pressuring Penry to drop out – which seems to be an established fact by now), that the party’s right wing still might run a candidate and force a primary, forcing the leadership to speak to the issues.

More soon.