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Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said yesterday that he will not run for governor and instead will endorse Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper for the Democrats’ nod.

Salazar had been the favored choice by Democrats for the gubernatorial election because of his lifelong commitment to public policy in Colorado and because he had already won several statewide elections. Hickenlooper on Wednesday Ń following a formal announcement by Gov. Bill Ritter that he would not seek re-election in order to spend more time with his family Ń had even said he would not seek the position if Salazar had truly wanted it.

But Salazar yesterday said he has too much work inside President Obama’s administration to give up his post to run for governor.

“I have a job to do as Secretary of the Interior to implement President Obama’s vision for a clean energy economy and to better protect America’s great outdoors,” Salazar said in a statement.

Just Wednesday, Salazar unveiled plans for greater reform and oversight over onshore oil and gas exploration leasing.

Hickenlooper would not immediately say yesterday whether he would seek the Democrats’ nod for governor. Instead, he only issued a statement thanking Salazar for his endorsement.

“We are very grateful and honored for Secretary Salazar’s support,” said the mayor. “Secretary Salazar is one of Colorado’s finest and we greatly admire his public service.”

Hickenlooper went on to say that he is discussing the possibility of running for governor with his family.

“This doesn’t change our course,” he said. “My family and I will take the appropriate time to consider whether a run for governor is the right thing to do.”

Also being eyed by Democrats to fill the role being left by Ritter is former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, who is currently challenging U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in a primary, and Congressman Ed Perlmutter.

Denver Daily News political columnist Aaron Harber said Democrats lost a valuable choice in Salazar, noting his multi-generational Colorado roots and centrist appeal. But he said Hickenlooper would be a very formidable candidate.

“Hickenlooper has a lot of strength, he may or may not be able to close out the Democratic Party opposition, but it’s likely he will,” said Harber.

The political analyst believes Romanoff will stick with the U.S. Senate primary race. Harber added that Perlmutter likely won’t want to create a messy primary election for the Democrats.

Calls to Romanoff by the Denver Daily News went unreturned yesterday. A spokeswoman for Perlmutter did not return an e-mail seeking comment.

Perlmutter said on Wednesday that he is considering the opportunity. Romanoff has not directly addressed the gubernatorial issue.

Meanwhile, Salazar said he is endorsing Hickenlooper because of the mayor’s ability to bring all political sides together.

“John Hickenlooper is a uniter,” said Salazar. “He transcends political and geographic divides to bring people together to develop solutions.”

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