Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

Bennet's 2010 run under way

Senate nominee naming team to tackle tough race

By M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 4, 2009 at 8:25 p.m.

Text size  
Denver Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet talks outside of the office of Sen. Ken Salazar on Monday, January 5, 2009 on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Lauren Victoria Burke © special to The Rocky

Denver Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet talks outside of the office of Sen. Ken Salazar on Monday, January 5, 2009 on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Poll

Whom would you have picked for the open U.S. Senate seat?


  • See the results »

Related Links

Related Stories

More Delegates and Volunteers

More stories »

The 2010 U.S. Senate race got under way even before the last hours of 2008 ticked off the clock.

On New Year's Eve, preparations were being made to announce Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet as a replacement for Interior Secretary-nominee Ken Salazar.

And by the next morning a team was quietly being assembled for Bennet's first-ever election campaign in two years.

"I had just unpacked my bags in D.C. and got a call asking if I could jump on a plane and come back to Colorado to help out," said Matt Chandler, the onetime spokesman for President-elect Barack Obama's Colorado campaign.

By Saturday, Chandler had issued the first press release on behalf of the Bennet for Colorado campaign, which unveiled a bare- bones Web site, a 23-page media kit and a way for people to sign up for campaign updates.

Veteran political consultant Craig Hughes, director of research for RBI Strategy & Research, is in charge of assembling Bennet's campaign team, Chandler said on Sunday.

Hughes, who cut his teeth on President Bill Clinton's campaigns, served as Obama's senior campaign adviser in Colorado.

Bennet's campaign is expected to file an official Statement of Organization with the Federal Election Commission in the next few days. Although Chandler repeatedly stressed that "there's only one senator at a time" - and until later this month his name is Salazar - "We'll have a campaign structure that's up and running very soon," he said.

There's no secret why.

Republicans are champing at the bit to take on Bennet, who is untested as a campaigner and fundraiser, and isn't as well known as the man the GOP had been expecting to face, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper.

Many political analysts and Democratic and Republican insiders have said they were surprised, even perplexed, that Democrats would take a chance on holding the seat in 2010 with a political rookie, however talented, intelligent or likable.

Pollster Floyd Ciruli called the pick "improbable" and "risky." And some Democrats openly fretted that the seat was at risk. Bennet's selection "could be a coup for Republicans in 2010," said Gil Cisneros, president and CEO of the Chamber of the Americas, who supported former state Sen. Polly Baca for the appointment.

That could explain why Bennet and his backers used reassuring - and sometimes defiant - terms at a Saturday news conference to address skeptics. Bennet said he plans to run in 2010 and "absolutely" intends to win.

In a favorable election year for Democrats, Mark Udall had to raise $12.6 million to beat Republican Bob Schaffer last year. It could be more in 2010. It also will be the first midterm election following a party switch in the White House - something that historically means tough challenges for the new president's party.

That mean's Bennet's first election is hardly a cakewalk. So the campaign is trying to hit the ground running.

"He is going to win," Chandler said. "I think the country is facing some tough times, but he's an incredibly hard worker. He's going to earn that victory."

At a news conference in Denver on Sunday, Salazar said that "without a doubt" he would work for Bennet's election, including urging Obama to come to Colorado to campaign.

"I know that the president-elect holds Michael Bennet in high esteem," said Salazar, who will introduce Bennet to his future Senate colleagues this week. Bennet is scheduled to address the Senate's Democratic conference in Washington on Wednesday.

"He has a lot of work ahead of him in the next 20 months," Salazar said. "He knows that."

Staff writer Kevin Flynn contributed to this story.

Comments

  • January 4, 2009

    8:49 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    chickenlittle1234 writes:

    I confess I didn't bother to read a word of the article - the headline when I posted said it all: "Bennet's team for 2010 Senate campaign taking shape"

    Sigh.

  • January 4, 2009

    10:25 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Aaron writes:

    Although I am sure that Mr. Bennett will be a fine senator, I still wish that Governor Ritter would have put the senate seat up for bid on EBAY. It would have been a keen way to raise some dollars for our state.

    sigh....

  • January 5, 2009

    6:03 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    DakotaPlainsman writes:

    From what I have seen, the Democrats could put Howdy Doody up for election to the Senate, and he'd win here in Colorado. Who do the Republican have that can compete on that level? This Wadhams guy says the Rep's have a deep bench. Well that bench didn't do so well during the last election. Can anyone name a serious contender for Senate from the Republican party? The best known Republican is Douglas Bruce.

  • January 5, 2009

    7:22 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    danirobi writes:

    Scott McGinnis, Josh Penry (Current State Senate Minority Leader), John Elway, Tom Tancredo (most likely will run for Governor), AG John Suthers...just to name a few.

  • January 5, 2009

    8:02 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    malis writes:

    I very much like that Ritter took a chance here. Bennet's an ‘out of the box’ choice—a non-politician who’s an intelligent problem-solver with a history of bringing competing factions together.

    I expected Hickenlooper, Thought Ritter might go as far as risking Romanoff (too young for the Senate and absolutely no achievements outside of the legislature), but would have been OK with either. choice of Bennet surprised me and everybody, but his variety of successes, obvious intelligence, and history of developing innovative, creative solutions to whatever issues he’s faced, are great if unusual qualifications for the Senate.

    Primary questions are not about whether he’s the type of person we want in the Senate, but whether he will prove a skilled enough politician (and money-raiser) to be elected on his own in 2010, but. I much prefer that to the main questions around the last two Republican Senate candidates—“how badly will they embarrass Colorado?” (Bob Schaffer and Pete Coors).

  • January 5, 2009

    8:41 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Willy writes:

    This is part of what is wrong with our system. Our representatives/senators have to spend all of their time running for office and raising money rather than taking care of the country's business.

  • January 5, 2009

    8:43 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    malis writes:

    Danirobi, Suthers possibly, but he's the type of relative moderate the state Republican Party disdains. McGinnis's time has passed, Penry's has not yet arrived (kind of like Romanoff). That you even had to mention Elway and Tancredo just to fill out a list, demonstrates how thin the R bench is.

    (Tancredo? Please oh please yes, let Tancredo run for Governor. Only thing better would be Musgrave.)

  • January 5, 2009

    8:44 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Darwin writes:

    malis writes: "I very much like that Ritter took a chance here. Bennet's an ‘out of the box’ choice—a non-politician who’s an intelligent problem-solver with a history of bringing competing factions together."

    I agree with that assessment. What bothers me is the system that says because he is a "junior" Senator, his voice will seldom be heard or have little influence. By the time he is in a position to be heard, (after several successful reelections) he will no longer be a "non-politician" and will be playing the political game. Like all others, he is expected to "buy his seat" by being a good "fund raiser". All this will cause him (and any new member) to toe the party line and throw innovative ideas and thinking to the way side.

  • January 5, 2009

    8:52 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    HopiMedicineMan writes:

    Danirobi,
    And who of that group will run for this seat and who could possibly win? Tancredo can't win statewide. Elway has never run except on a gridiron. McGinnis doesn't have the camera appeal. And Suthers could win with a newspaper behind him. Who is the Post going to support?

  • January 5, 2009

    9:12 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    bobby_b writes:

    have we ever had a governor with less political savvy? Would love to know the real story behind why he picked a nobody for the US Senate.

  • January 5, 2009

    9:13 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Cowboy63 writes:

    Not even sworn in yet and already running for re-election! Why don't you try to actually accomplish something before trying to convince us you deserve another term?

    This is a perfect example of politics in America today. The goal is staying in office; doing something for your consticuency is of secondary importance.

  • January 5, 2009

    9:16 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    malis writes:

    Willy, Darwin, (sighhhhhh), yes, you both make good points. I agree that politics will never be a perfect system (often not even a good system) because it reflects (and sometimes amplifies) the faults and biases of its owners. No, not the politicians—the voters. That is, us.

    I often find myself defending the concept and system of ‘politics’ from those who seem to think it’s inherently wicked and corrupt. Still, the primary option to politics is war and, overall, I prefer the cost of imperfect politics to the consequences of the most perfect war.

    I think a good start is trying to get in people who are different from the status quo. Bennet could never have made it through a primary against traditional politicians, so I have some hope. We can’t change the system overnight, but progression is better than regression, and this is progress.

  • January 5, 2009

    9:19 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    danirobi writes:

    I'm just stating who I think would be good, geez, its not like I have inside information here.

  • January 5, 2009

    9:34 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    mytwosense writes:

    Willy writes: "This is part of what is wrong with our system. Our representatives/senators have to spend all of their time running for office and raising money rather than taking care of the country's business."

    I agree. It's gotten completely out of control. It cost almost $1 billion dollars to get Obama elected, for example. Now, I voted for him, and this isn't a criticism of him per se. But it is of our increasingly expensive electoral system.

    My husband and I were just talking about this, and thinking of possible solutions. A shorter campaign season, more debates, public airwaves being used again for campaign communication, debates, ads, etc.

    I'd love to hear other ideas.

  • January 5, 2009

    9:35 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Aaron writes:

    The above posts are all right to my point that the voters, or our elected chief poo-bahs, should simply side-step the junior senator status of a newly elected or appointed senator. Once the senator passes the junior senator status, they are corrupted anyway. We, the people of Colorado, need to get our fair share of the available graft while we can.

    So...let's take it right to EBAY! Let the highest bidder be appointed to the Senate. This way, Colorado gets the revenue from the EBAY sale, sans sales taxes, and, as a Junior Senator cannot get much, if any, pork projects for us anyway, we (the people of Colorado) reap financial benefits during the junior senator's period of time in office. Brilliant!

  • January 5, 2009

    10:23 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    JustSayin writes:

    I would have preferred to see an appointment of someone who would have promised just to fill in for the two years - and then and only then would Bennet have been a good choice. By picking this 'insider' who has never held elected office, and who is a relative newcomer to Colorado, Ritter has slapped all Coloradans in the face.

    I'm liberal (proudly!!), and never thought much of Ritter's record as an apologist attorney general who excused even the most egregious killings by police out-of-hand, and with this action he has proved to me that the Colorado Democratic party is not one I choose to 'represent' me. Middle of the road, one world milquetoast - both parties are the same............ Freeman2night wrote: "This is going to be the most corrupt Presidency and Congress ever." I think it's gonna be hard to beat the past eight years when it comes to ineptitude and graft......

  • January 5, 2009

    12:23 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    LOUIE writes:

    I have pretty much laid out my support for this man on other threads; as far as his re-election chances, I have yet to see his opponent to make that call. He is very brilliant, doesn't mean I'll always see eye to eye with Bennett. He was by far a better choice than Romanoff who is extremely unaccomplished other than doing the bidding of senior party members in the legistlature; and Hinckenlooper? I don't like the guy, but he is needed here more as mayor. Even I must regretfully say the city will do better with Hinckenlooper staying put. Many issues I totally disagree with the mayor on, but he still has abilities that are short in supply. Romanoff was nothing more than the puppet of those who taught him how and when to dance; Bennett thinks for himself on his feet, and is extremely intelligent as shown in his job as DPS superintendent. No other DPS superintendent had the guts to take on the teacher's union head on and wrench the concessions needed to change a failing system to make improvements as Bennett did in 3 years. He was extremely accomplished in business as well; and corporations on the ropes would love to hire this man for the mind he possesses and his proven track record. Ritter made a great choice. Re-election? Let's see who his opponent is first, I still like Pete Coors; I think Pete could make a creditable run not only for the senate, but the governor's job as well. I took him over Salazar, but hey it's done now. Glad we at least have a Coloradoan on the cabinet in Washington, although I could care less for Salazar's politics. Bennett is a great choice!