DENVER, Colorado — Colorado's Democratic Governor Bill Ritter confirmed Wednesday he would not seek re-election to the post later this year, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Ritter, 53, regarded as a rising star of the Democratic Party, was elected by a landslide in 2006 and would normally have been expected to seek a second term in the post.
However, Ritter told a news conference at Denver's state capitol Wednesday that he had struggled to balance the demands of his political career and family life and would not run for re-election.
"I would say it this way, I have not found the proper balance where my family is concerned, and I have not made them the priority they should be," Ritter said.
"So today I'm announcing that I'm ending one of my roles. I am no longer a candidate for re-election in 2010.
"It allows me to concentrate on the things that are and should be most important to all of us -- taking care of my family, and, quite frankly, taking care of the state of Colorado."
Ritter said his move would allow him to take "tough and unpopular" decisions in his final year in office in Colorado, a key swing state in the US electoral map which was once staunchly Republican.
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