Colorado governor’s race

Pending probable primary wins on Aug. 10, Denver mayor and former brewmaster John Hickenlooper (D) will face off against former Rep. Scott McInnis (R) to replace retiring Gov. Bill Ritter (D). Hickenlooper has stressed the importance of cities taking action against climate change, and has done a lot to green his own city, including expanding its “Green Fleet” program, extending light rail, and developing new green building standards. Under his leadership, Denver was named by NRDC as one of the most sustainable cities in the U.S.  McInnis, who earned a 10 percent score from the League of Conservation Voters for his last term in Congress, wants to loosen the state’s oil and gas regulations and last year criticized Ritter for “adopting the radical leftist [environmental] positions” of Robert Redford. This should prove to be a “rocky” race: the latest poll shows Hickenlooper just slightly in the lead.