At least five have applied for Sec. of State opening

So far, at least five people have said they're applying to succeed Secretary of State Mike Coffman: talk show host and 1990 Democratic Secretary of State nominee Aaron Harber, outgoing Senate President Ken Gordon (D-Denver), federal Election Assistance Commission Chairwoman Rosemary Rodriguez, Gilpin County Clerk and Recorder Jessica Lovingier, and Denver Democratic Party Secretary Dan Willis.

Outgoing Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff had not yet applied for the position as of 3 p.m. Monday, News2 reported.

Several unnamed Democratic sources told News2 Romanoff was weighing whether to decide whether to hold out for Ken Salazar's U.S. senate seat. Salazar, a Denver Democrat, is considered a finalist for President Barack Obama's Secretary of the Interior.

Gordon, Rodriguez and Lovingier confirmed to News2 that they had applied. Willis and Harber confirmed to PolitickerCO.com that they had also submitted applications.

Of the five, only Lovingier is a Republican.

The deadline for Secretary of State applications was 5 p.m. on Monday. Wil Alston, a spokesman for Gov. Bill Ritter, said the names and paperwork of applicants won't be made available until Tuesday.

The position opened up when Coffman, a Republican, was elected to Congress earlier this month.

A seven-member panel convened by Ritter will submit a list of finalists by early December. Ritter will then likely make a decision by late December, according to the Denver Post.