DENVER -- A spokesman for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper said President Barack Obama called the mayor to discuss Colorado's governor's seat, which is up for grabs this year.

Obama pledged his support for Hickenlooper during the two-minute call, reported the The Denver Post.

Spokesman Eric Brown said Saturday that Obama told Hickenlooper to do what's best for his family.

Hickenlooper, a Democrat, is considering running for the job after Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter announced Wednesday he wouldn't seek re-election.

Hickenlooper will decide soon but probably won't make any announcement this weekend, Brown said. Hickenlooper has said he will consult with his family before making up his mind.

Brown said Hickenlooper's conversation with Obama lasted two minutes. The mayor was grateful and honored that the president called, Brown said.

The White House has gotten involved in races across the country, sometimes with mixed results. It tried to persuade former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff to not challenge U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in this year's primary with a job offer. Romanoff declined and is continuing with his bid for senator.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, a former U.S. senator from Colorado, has already endorsed Hickenlooper for governor, calling him a "uniter" who can transcend party and geographic lines.

Salazar declined to run for governor, saying he wanted to stay in Washington to work with Obama.

Other potential Democratic contenders include former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter. Romanoff is challenging first-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, who was appointed by Ritter to fill the rest of Salazar's term.

Republican Scott McInnis, a former congressman, had already announced he would run for governor. Also in the Republican race is Dan Maes, a businessman from the foothills town of Evergreen. He's considered a long shot.

Ritter said he was dropping out of the race because it would take too much time away from his family.

The decision caught Democratic Party leaders off guard and boosted Republican hopes that they can recapture the governorship of a key Western swing state.

A poll conducted last year by Ciruli Associates showed Hickenlooper had a 58 percent favorability rating statewide -- one point behind Salazar.

The mayor's favorability was 68 percent among Democrats, 57 percent among unaffiliated voters and 48 percent among Republicans.