Democrat and multi-millionaire Rutt Bridges announced today he will run for Governor. That means a primary contest between Bridges and former Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter. According to Bridges,

“Most politicians form exploratory committees and waffle about their ‘final’ decision,” Bridges said in a news release. “Not me. I’m running for governor and I’m in for the long haul.”

Bridges has never held public office. He made his millions in software development.

Bridges, a 53-year-old political neophyte, made millions developing a software program that analyzes sound reflections from the earth to identify likely oil and gas deposits. He later founded Denver’s centrist Bighorn Center for Public Policy, which backed Colorado’s popular No-Call List prohibiting telemarketer phone calls to those signed up.

Bill Ritter is well known to every Denverite and much of Colorado as Denver’s District Attorney for the past 12 years. But, he is personally anti-choice, and despite the fact that he has said he would not introduce legislation to ban abortions, some speculate that could hurt him in a primary.

Ritter said he is not making an issue of abortion. “It’s the law. Abortion is legal. “It’s not the thing I’m running on,” he said.

Bill Ritter also is personally against the death penalty, yet as District Attorney, he brought death penalty prosecutions when he believed they were called for.

I look forward to learning where Rutt Bridges stands on controversial issues such as immigration reform, gay marriage and the death penalty .