Denver attorney Scott Gessler has filed paperwork (PDF) with election officials for a 2010 run for Secretary of State. Should Gessler win the Republican party's nomination, he will likely face incumbent Democrat Bernie Buescher in the general election. Buescher, a former state Representative, was appointed to the seat late last month to fill a vacancy created by the election of U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman. That appointment is expected to be confirmed soon by the just-reconvened state Senate.
Gessler joins a growing list of recently announced candidates for the 2010 statewide election, including Gov. Bill Ritter, Michael Bennet (recently appointed to the U.S. Senate), and U.S. Attorney Troy Eid, who announced this week a bid for Attorney General. In a story first reported by Face The State, CU Regent Tom Lucero was also very early in announcing his run for the state's 4th Congressional District, 23 months before the election.
Full disclosure: Gessler represents Face The State in an ongoing lawsuit against Ritter, currently on appeal.