State Rep. Mike Foote announced Wednesday that he has applied to be appointed as Boulder County’s district attorney and that, regardless of whether he is chosen for the job by Gov. John Hickenlooper, he will run for the position come November.

The Lafayette Democrat’s decision comes just days after fellow Democrat Michael Dougherty said he was suspending his campaign for Colorado attorney general to also seek appointment as Boulder County district attorney.

Foote, a longtime deputy district attorney in Boulder County on top of his duties as a legislator, earlier endorsed Dougherty during his run for Colorado attorney general.

“I respect both of the other prosecutors who are in this race,” Foote told The Denver Post in an interview. “I’ve worked with both of them. To me, being the district attorney in Boulder is a real capstone position and I would just be so honored to be able to lead that office and pick up where Stan left off.”

Stan Garnett announced last month that he was stepping down from his role as Boulder’s top prosecutor to become a senior partner at the Denver law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. Garnett was elected to a third term in 2016.

Michael Dougherty has announced his candidacy for Colorado attorney general

Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post Boulder County Deputy District Attorney Tim Johnson is photographed in his office in Boulder, Colorado on April 13, 2015.

Matthew Jonas, The Times-Call Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, center, tells students his three keys to success before signing HB16-1063 into law as state Rep. Mike Foote, right, and state Sen. Mark Scheffel, left, look on.



Paul Aiken, The Daily Camera Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett talks to a reporter at the Daily Camera's offices on Wednesday about his decision to resign.

The Daily Camera reports that Boulder County Deputy District Attorney Tim Johnson has also applied with Hickenlooper — a Democrat — to be appointed to fill Garnett’s position.

Dougherty, a prosecutor for Jefferson and Gilpin counties, has left open the option of returning to the attorney general’s race if he does not become Boulder County’s district attorney.

A spokeswoman for Hickenlooper said he is expected to announce a new district attorney any time between now and March 1. She declined to say who all has applied for the job and said that the governor’s office would announce finalists once they were chosen.

Foote said he is scheduled to be interview by Hickenlooper next week. The two have clashed before on oil and gas issues.

Foote, who chairs the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee, said he plans to continue working as a lawmaker as he campaigns for the district attorney’s position, unless he is appointed to the job by the governor, in which case “I would have to leave.”