DENVER -- Gov. Bill Ritter announced Friday that he will run again in 2010, an announcement that coincides with a firefighter rally accusing Ritter of breaking campaign promises.

Ritter said his administration has made progress on major issues including education and health care. But Ritter has vetoed several union bills while in office, a move that has prompted many unions to say they may not support him for another term.

Several unions said they may support another candidate if Ritter has a Democratic primary race next year.

"We're going to have to take a hard look at where we stand with Gov. Ritter," said Colorado AFL-CIO Executive Director Mike Cerbo.

Firefighters plan to speak out against Ritter on Friday afternoon to protest his veto of a bill that would have allowed them to unionize and bargain collectively without seeking approval. Ritter vetoed bill 180, saying the decision to unionize should be left to local governments. Firefighters do not agree.

"He makes it more dangerous because the way the system's set up right now, is the firefighters, the men and women that actually go into the burning buildings, don't have a say in their government. They don't have a say in the way their safety equipment is purchased,” said Denver firefighter Aaron Jonke.

The rally will be held at the AFL-CIO's Colorado headquarters in downtown Denver.

Dick Wadhams, Colorado Republican Party chair, said Ritter, unlike any of his predecessors, is one of the weakest chief executives ever in Colorado, with no sense of direction.

"When you compare Gov. Ritter to people like Dick Lamm, Roy Romer and Bill Owens there is no comparison. They were very strong chief executives whether you agreed with them or not," Wadhams said.

Wadhams said Ritter has low public approval rating and is even vulnerable in his party.

"I'll say this much. He's got a lot of unrest in his party right now and that's a big problem for any incumbent ... I understand the union's frustration. I think he misrepresented his positions to them and I appreciate why they are so concerned about his re election," Wadhams said. "Bill Ritter, I think, tells everybody what they want to hear. And that's great for a campaign. That's how he got elected governor. But when you actually serve as governor you have to come down on a particular side of an issue and so we've seen over and over again where groups on both sides of an issue say, 'Well, that's not what he told us and that gets you in trouble in elected office."

Conversely, Colorado Democratic Party Chair Pat Waak said Ritter has shown great leadership, coined the phrase "new energy economy" and brought a lot of jobs to the state. She said because of the economy, it's difficult for any governor to appeal to all the groups.

"He's done some tremendous things in this legislative session. I think he has provided a ton of leadership. It's unfortunate that this (firefighter) bill got vetoed but he also signed a number of labor bills and a lot of bills that will help working families in this state," Waak said. "Sometimes you have to make hard choices and that's what leadership is all about. "

"We are in a new era where the economy is in really bad shape and there are going to have to be some hard decisions that have to be made all over the country, Gov. Ritter is at the forefront of making some of those decisions. They are not popular. They're painful," she said.

She believes Ritter will win re-election.