
It's beginning to look like Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is the frontrunner to be appointed by Governor Bill Ritter to serve the remaining two years of Ken Salazar's senate term. The Denver Post has endorsed Hickenlooper in a strongly worded editorial, arguing that the mayor has "a definitive record of success and pragmatic problem-solving," and that he is "the one person who has been able to sell voters on decidedl un-sexy public improvement projects."
Right now, it appears that 7th District Congressional Representative Ed Perlmutter is Hickenlooper's main competition for the seat, ColoradoPols.com's odds sheet actually has Perlmutter marked as the favorite, and the site has endorsed Perlmutter.
Former Denver Mayor and Clinton administration Transportation Secretary Federico Pena has taken his name out of consideration, as reported by the Fort Collins Coloradoan.
1st District Congressional Rep. Diana Degette has strenuously thrown her hat into the ring, though her case seems to rest entirely on being a woman:
Former senate candidate Mike Miles has also declared himself eligible for the seat.
Notably missing from the current chatter is, in my opinion, the best man for the job: Andrew Romanoff. That will likely change in the coming days.