The buzz is back, but the governor isn’t biting.

Gov. John Hickenlooper shook his head at talk that he’s on the shortlist to be Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s running mate, a spokeswoman said Sunday.

“We all need to focus and not be distracted by shiny objects at great distance,” Hickenlooper communications director Kathy Green told The Colorado Statesman. “We will leave speculation about national politics to others.”

The possibility that the popular two-term Democrat could land on a national ticket emerged again over the weekend when his name landed in a story by D.C.-insider publication The Hill, which reported Saturday that Hickenlooper was among five potential vice president picks “getting the most buzz in Clintonworld.”

“Some in Clintonworld” — the close-knit group of intensely loyal advisors surrounding the former secretary of state and her husband, former President Bill Clinton — “say the Colorado governor’s name should be on any short list,” writes The Hill’s Amie Parnes. “For starters, a win in Colorado would cement the race for Clinton.”

The others on the veep list included Viginia Sen. Tim Kaine, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Labor Secretary Thomas Perez.

Hickenlooper’s spokeswoman tamped down the national gossip, saying the governor instead was busy at home.

“The governor is focused on the job he was re-elected to do here in Colorado, which includes expanding job creation, improving education, and the rest of his agenda” Green said.

Just days after the General Assembly adjourned its 120-day session, speculation closer to home has centered on the chance Hickenlooper might call a special session for lawmakers to tackle budget issues.

The Hill ticks off a couple other indicators that Hickenlooper could be a top-tier prospect: The prominent Clinton backer has stood by her even though rival Bernie Sanders dominated the state by 20 points, and she attended a high-profile fundraiser at his Denver home in April.

It isn’t the first time the quirky former geologist and craft beer pioneer has seen his name floated as a national candidate — Hickenlooper dismissed speculation with a curt “it ain’t gonna happen” in an interview with The Denver Post a year ago — and it probably won’t be the last.

Political observers point to a recent flurry of the kind of activity a national prospect could undertake: He regularly addresses major groups in Colorado, around the nation and abroad; his memoir, “The Opposite of Woe,” co-written with Max Potter, hits bookstores this month; he married longtime girlfriend Robin Pringle in January; and his second-in-command in Colorado, Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne, was sworn into office last week after unanimous approval in the Republican-led Senate, making a Hickenlooper departure at least conceivable. (Of course, those are also the kind of things a popular governor serving his second term without national political aspirations might do.)

“Insiders say if he doesn’t get a nod for VP, Clinton will likely consider him for a cabinet position, should she be elected,” Parnes reports. (Hickenlooper was under consideration for secretary of transportation in the Obama administration, and allies of the governor say he’d jump at the chance for an ambassadorship to Japan.)

— ernest@coloradostatesman.com