DENVER — Republican Scott McInnis says he'll revoke an executive order that allowed state employees to form unions and rewrite new oil and gas rules if he is elected governor.

McInnis railed against oil and gas regulations pushed by Gov. Bill Ritter's administration. The former Colorado congressman, speaking at a mining conference Tuesday, said the regulations are to blame for the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in the state.

McInnis, the GOP front-runner, also took aim at Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, a Democratic candidate for governor. He criticized Hickenlooper, who used to work in the oil and gas industry, for not speaking out against the new regulations.

Ritter, a Democrat, isn't seeking re-election.