Decision "Soon" From Hefley

The district, where Republicans outnumber Democrats more than 2-to-1, is considered one of the safest GOP seats in the country. Add to that the power of incumbency, and whoever wins the seat could probably be there as long as he or she wants, said Bob Loevy, a Colorado College political-science professor.

“Anyone with any kind of political ambition aimed at Washington will want to get in,” he said. “The prize is unbelievably large.”

Although state caucuses are only two months away, the 10-term congressman has declined so far to say whether he’s in or out. This led to a recent phone call from the White House encouraging him not to retire this year, his spokeswoman Kim Sears said.

“He doesn’t have a timeline for when he’s going to make a decision, but it will be soon,” Sears said…

…The prospect of an open seat has led to a flurry of potential candidates. “There are so many Republicans who would probably run for the seat, including some who are currently in the state legislature,” GOP consultant Katy Atkinson said. “It would definitely make for some great theater.”

Already, Republican John Wesley Anderson, a homeland-security defense expert and former El Paso County sheriff, has jumped into the race, contending he will remain even if Hefley decides to run for re-election.