Colorado Dem Gov. Bill Ritter Drops Out of 2010 Re-election Race

DENVER -- Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter made it official Wednesday morning: He will not seek re-election in 2010, saying pressures of the office have been too great on his family.

"It is my family who has sacrificed the most -- my wife, Jeannie, my kids, three of whom are here today," Ritter said at an 11 a.m. press conference in the Capitol. "I have not found the proper balance where my family is concerned, and I have not made them the priority they should be. So today I'm announcing that I'm ending one of my roles. I am no longer a candidate for re-election."

Ritter, a pro-life moderate, is personally popular, and he has put the state on the map as a green energy center. But he has been hamstrung by a shrinking state budget and weak employment numbers.

According to Politico, Ritter has a strained relationship with the Democratic base. Shortly after taking office, he killed a bill that would have made it easier for workers to form unions, a move organized labor saw as a major betrayal after they donated heavily to his campaign. He also vetoed a separate pair of bills backed by labor unions.

Republicans in this historically red state are licking their chops: Polls have shown Ritter trailing Scott McInnis, a former U.S. representative, and the GOP is anxious to take back the governor's mansion.

Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams told The Denver Post that sluggish poll numbers and Democrats' national troubles posed too steep a challenge for Ritter.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter and U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar are seen by many as the front-runners among Democrats who may seek the seat.