Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald announced today that she would not be seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, shrinking the field yet again.

Former Denver DA Bill Ritter is currently the only announced Democratic candidate for governor, and in the last six months every other potential challenger has dropped off the list, one by one, until only one top name remains. Right now, Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff is the last remaining Democrat on the top of the list of those who might be considering a run for governor, and opinions are mixed as to whether he is seriously considering a run or not.

This time last year, the potential list of Democrats who might run for governor was strong, with Rep. Mark Udall (Boulder/Adams County) and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper at the top of the list. Millionaire activist Rutt Bridges was a declared candidate for a few months before dropping out of the race in August, and since he bowed out Ritter has had the race to himself on the Democratic side.

Because Ritter is pro-life, there is reason to believe that another Democrat will eventually enter the race. But at this point, the list of serious challengers is pretty small (Fitz-Gerald was generally considered the most likely remaining Democrat to jump in). If Romanoff doesn’t run, and it’s more likely that he won’t, there really isn’t another name out there that could instantly pose a strong threat to Ritter.