The Rocky Mountain News discusses a story today that I had posted here last week: that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is once again getting a hefty push from supporters to run for governor. But according to the mayor’s spokesperson, it doesn’t sound like Hick is thinking bigger:

No matter how many times and how many ways Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper says he’s not running for the Democratic nomination for governor, admirers are hoping for a change of heart…

…The mayor hasn’t changed the position he’s maintained for months, Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, his spokeswoman, said Monday. “He is not running for governor,” she said.

Supporters of Hickenlooper, including the drafthick Web site, hope that there is still some wiggle room in that statement, but that sounds pretty firm. So why is he still being pushed?

The easy answer that observers like to put forth is that the current Democratic candidate for governor, former Denver DA Bill Ritter, is suffering from his pro-life views that are at odds with some in the Democratic Party. That’s the simple explanation, but with Ritter it’s more than that: for whatever reason, he just hasn’t grabbed the nomination by the horns and held on. Ritter isn’t wowing Democratic supporters on a large-scale basis, and until he does, speculation about the next candidate to enter the race will continue.

Whether it’s Hickenlooper, Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff, State Senator Ken Gordon or Pueblo DA Bill Thiebault, we’re likely to see another candidate enter the race for governor on the Democratic side within the next few weeks. Will it be Hick? We’ll soon find out if “no” really means “no.”