DENVER -- Gov. Bill Owens said Wednesday that the chairman of the Coors brewing dynasty, Peter Coors, will be a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate this fall.

"I talked to him an hour and a half ago and he is going to run," Owens said after a briefing on the state's wildfire season. "I think Pete Coors would make an outstanding senator."

Coors, 57 (pictured, left), did not immediately return a message left at his offices in Golden. He is chairman of Coors Brewing Co. and Adolph Coors Co.

His candidacy would throw a twist into an already wild race. Former Rep. Bob Schaffer has been the only high-profile GOP candidate in the race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, but he has not won the support of top party officials.

Owens, who rejected a Senate bid earlier this year, said he had told Schaffer he would offer his support.

"I'll need to talk to Bob Schaffer and make sure he's going to stay in the race, and I'll make a judgment between these two candidates shortly," Owens said.

The top Democrat in the race is Attorney General Ken Salazar.

Coors Biography

Coors is a scion of a family business that spans more than a century. He is the great-grandson of Adolph Coors, who founded the Golden brewery in 1873.

Coors has been chairman of Coors Brewing Co. and chairman of Adolph Coors Co. since 2002. Prior to that, he was vice chairman and CEO for Coors Brewing Co.

Coors serves on the board of directors for U.S. Bancorp Inc., H.J. Heinz Co. and the Energy Corp. of America. He is a trustee of the Adolph Coors Foundation and the Castle Rock Foundation. He also has served as a trustee and member of the executive board of the Denver Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and as a member of the National Western Stock Show Association executive committee.

Coors is a member of the International Chapter of Young Presidents Organization and the University of Denver Daniels School of Business Advisory Board.