Former Governor Roy Romer endorsed Sen. Chris Hansen in his bid to become Denver’s first new mayor in more than a decade. Romer joins a list of supporters that include many labor unions, current and former senators, representatives and school board members. 

Hansen is also supported by an additional 1,300 individual contributors, according to his campaign. Romer said the mayoral race is “incredibly important,” and that he was proud to endorse Hansen. 

“As the former governor of Colorado, I know what it takes to make progress and lead with a vision,” Romer said in a news release. “Denver faces its own set of challenges, from modernizing the protocols for plowing roads after big storms to solving the homelessness crisis.”

After his three terms as Colorado’s governor, Romer served as superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District from 2000 to 2006. Romer is a “true public servant,” according to Hansen’s campaign. He also served as the chair of the Democratic Governor’s Association. 

Romer served in the Colorado House of Representatives in the late 1950s and early 1960s before transitioning to the Colorado Senate between 1962 and 1966. He tried to unseat Sen. Gordon Allot in 1966, but was unsuccessful. Following that, he served as state treasurer for a decade before his first election as governor in 1986. He served three terms.

“I’m honored to have the Governor’s support and to welcome him to this great coalition we are building of organized labor, business groups, environmental groups, public safety unions, and community leaders,” Hansen said in a news release. “It will take all of us working together to solve these complex problems and I’m proud of the campaign we’re building to do just that.”