Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, running unopposed for Governor for the Democratic Party, instinctively remained completely under the radar over the past few weeks, as the GOP gubernatorial candidates’ self-inflicted scandals–plagiarism for former Rep. Scott McInnis and repeated campaign fines for businessman Dan Maes–became front page news and dominated the conversation of the political chattering class.

Today Hickenlooper announced his selection for Lieutenant Governor, CSU-Pueblo President Joe Garcia:

“Joe doesn’t just love Colorado — he lives Colorado,” Hickenlooper said as he introduced Garcia at an 11:15 a.m. news conference at his headquarters at 789 Sherman St.
Garcia has been president of Colorado State University at Pueblo since 2006. He would be the state’s first Hispanic lieutenant governor.
“This is a brilliant choice by Hickenlooper,” said Mike Feeley, an attorney and former state senator.
“Even though Joe has a gold-plated resume and a record of success, he is as unpretentious and down-to-earth as you can hope for,” said Feeley, who has known Garcia for years.
“He’s got a great sense of humor. He speaks easily in front of a crowd. And he’s a tremendous intellect.”

According to Rasmussen, Hickenlooper beats McInnis or Maes in a 3-way race, thanks to the entrance of former Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo as a candidate for the American Constitution Party.