Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb is no longer on the fence. Although Chris Romer seems to be the favorite in the upcoming mayoral election, Michael Hancock has gained the endorsement from Webb, who points out that Hancock has been a leader since his days in student government at Manual High School (Denver Post).

The high-profile nod could be just the kick-start Hancock needs. He closely trails James Mejía, who is in a distant second to Romer, according to a poll for ColoradoPols by RBI Strategies & Research (Romer: 22 percent; Mejía: 10 percent; Hancock: nine percent). Big-name endorsements in the mayoral race are potentially significant because, at this point, name recognition is “king,” says Kevin Ingham, RBI’s research director, and it seems Romer, the son of former Colorado Governor Roy Romer, has it. “However, with almost one-third of the voters we polled saying they don’t know any of the candidates, and 40 percent saying they are undecided, this race is still wide open,” Ingham adds (Fox 31).