Denver’s Democratic Mayor John Hickenlooper announced his campaign for governor of Colorado, a nod to encouragement from President Obama and other influential Democrats that he run to succeed retiring Gov. Bill Ritter (D).

Hickenlooper is now officially in the race, saying that “I love Colorado every bit as much as I love Denver” and that “we’re getting into this race because it is a privilege to live in Colorado.” Hickenlooper also announced his candidacy on his Facebook page.

Ritter issued a statement saying that Hickenlooper “is a great mayor and he’s going to be a great governor.”

Hickenlooper was scheduled to make the announcement at a news conference at the state Capitol building, according to the Denver Post.