U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Littleton, who is ending five terms in Congress having made his mark railing against illegal immigration, told Colorado Public Radio that he's taking a look at running for Colorado governor in 2010 and expects it would be a mud bath. Tancredo's remarks on the race come about 13 minutes into the interview as aired today.

"My negatives may be too high," Tancredo acknowledged to host Ryan Warner. "And today, unfortunately, the reason why everybody runs negative commercials is because they work. Even though everybody goes, ‘I hate them. I can't stand them. It's so ugly.' They work. I'll tell you this, that if I were on the other side - looking at somebody with my background coming in - I'd think, ‘This is going to be a field day.' So I can certainly see what kind of a campaign it would be. I'd give anything to figure out a better way to do it."

MSNBC anchor David Shuster today on U.S. Sen Ken Salazar, D-Colo., named Interior Secretary: "I hear from one of our correspondents that you're not supposed to wear a cowboy hat like that indoors unless you're at a square dance or an indoor livestock auction. What was Salazar thinking?"

And the Washington Post's Ed O'Keefe chimes in with his take here.

Who in Colorado is giving big bucks to help fund the Presidential Inaugural Committee of Barack Obama?

Holly Lev of Boulder, Bruce Oreck of Boulder and Pat Stryker of Fort Collins have each donated the maximum $50,000 apiece allowed by individuals, according to the committee's online database.

Lev, who had given $33,100 to a joint fundraising committee backing Obama in his presidential run, was described as "a self-employed Boulder consultant" in an Oct. 24 Denver Post story.

Attorney Bruce Oreck was a major Colorado-based fundraiser for Obama and also a founding member of the Colorado Democracy Alliance, a coordinating council for left-leaning organizations. Bruce and Cody Oreck are also listed anong those bundling contributions for the inaugural committee.

Billionaire philanthropist Pat Stryker is president of the Bohemian Foundation, based in Fort Collins, and is also a politically active donor, helping fund the opposition to Colorado GOP Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, who lost to Democrat Betsy Markey.

Another $12,500 was given to the inaugural committee by Joseph Zimlich, the CEO of the Bohemian Companies, affiliated with the Bohemian Foundation.

Speculation about a potential move to Washington aside, Gov. Bill Ritter sounds as if he's staying put in Colorado - and contemplating a run for re-election in 2010.

Following a press conference today about his recent trade mission to Asia, Ritter answered a couple questions about his own future.