The Denver Post is reporting that Denver mayor John Hickenlooper will announce his candidacy for governor later today. Hickenlooper, a geologist turned restaurateur, is a shrewd, unconventional politician who moves with equal ease in both progressive and chamber-of-commerce circles. Unlike the tenure of Colorado’s current Democratic governor, Bill Ritter, Hickenlooper’s time in office (which began in 2003) has been a prolonged honeymoon, seldom marred by gaffes, bad press, or editorial criticism. Republican frontrunner Scott McInnis is still in good shape, but this race just got a bit tougher for the GOP.

– Rob Witwer is a former member of the Colorado house of representatives and co-author of the upcoming book The Blueprint: How Democrats Won Colorado (And Why Republicans Everywhere Should Care).