Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper greeted the press Tuesday morning and answered the question before anyone asked: He’s not running for president, not behind the scenes or in front of the scenes.

The press continues to speculate, as the governor continues to act as if he’s laying down asphalt for a path to the White House. He’s talked about a national bipartisan healthcare plan in Washington, Tuesday night he’s talking international security with the prince or Jordan and he has an upcoming trip to Iowa – you know, the early caucus state.

“Nothing has changed,” he said. “We’ve got 303 days left and my 100 percent focus is trying to make sure that we are able to deliver the projects we are so deeply involved in right now … we’ve got 303 days left and now is not the time to worry about what’s next.”

He added, “Hopefully we can just focus on Colorado.”

Hickenlooper message to the press about speculation on his national aspirations Tuesday morning was much the same as he gave Colorado Politics in magazine cover story last fall.

He said then and now he hasn’t formed a political action committee and he nor his staff are working on a White House campaign strategy.

“I’ve had more people asking me if I’m running for president than ever,” he conceded Tuesday, saying it really got rolling last summer when he and Republican Gov. John Kasich of Ohio tried to find an avenue to fix healthcare in a way that would avoid partisan politics.

“As I’ve said a million times, if people talk to me about it, I’m happy to talk about it,” he told the Capitol press corps. “I think it’s something as soon as you start having a big public discussion about it, it’ll be the last – obviously we’re having a big discussion today – but once you start doing that it distracts you. It distracts me, it distracts my staff.

“I will tell you, and you’re welcome to talk to my staff, we don’t come in and say here’s what we’re going to do to position for what’s next. We are focused on trying to do each of our programs in the best way possible.”

His trip to Iowa next month is not about laying groundwork for the Iowa Caucus in 2020. Some in the press have speculated it’s another piece of evidence that Hickenlooper will be a presidential candidate.

He is on a panel on April 3 in Des Moines to discuss education and employment, an event organization by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. Hickenlooper will share the stage with Republican Arkansas Gov. Ada Hutchinson.

“I was asked by the governor, the Republican governor, there to come for a panel. They had a another Republican governor and they needed a Democratic governor. I’m going there. I’m not speaking (anywhere else). I’m not going out to small towns. I’m not going out and visiting with the Democratic precinct people.

“I’m going to go do this one thing, and then I’m leaving town.”

He joked at the press speculation: “Obviously it was a mistake. I just assumed that going out there and being on a conference panel like this didn’t rise to that level.

“I’ll ,make sure I don’t do anything in New Hampshire.”

Hickenlooper answered a hypothetical question about how someone might arrive at a decision to run for president. He said that person would start with discussing it with his or her family.

He said he’s discussed running for higher officer with his wife, Robin, “some while ago, but it’s not something we talk about frequently.