Colorado Preview: Bennet Faces Convention Test

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) faces his first political test this weekend, but it won't come at his party's state convention -- rather, it will come as his team manages media coverage over his impending loss.

Bennet, appointed to fill Interior Sec. Ken Salazar's vacant SEN seat last year, faces ex-state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D) in the state's Dem convention, which kicks off today. Romanoff has long been a key player in CO Dem circles, while Bennet is a relative newcomer.

Romanoff easily won the series of party caucuses that elected 4K delegates to the convention. Bennet expects to exceed the 30% threshold needed to secure a place on the primary ballot -- his campaign sees him finishing between 35%-41% among delegates -- but he's also collecting the necessary signatures just in case. Both Bennet and Romanoff will address the convention before the vote is cast.

Bennet leads Romanoff in the money chase and in public polls, and Romanoff has pinned his hopes on an impressive showing. But even if Romanoff wins the convention, history suggests he will still be a serious underdog; no Dem convention winner has won a primary since '92. Salazar lost to Dem activist Mike Miles (D) in the '04 convention; Salazar won the primary with 73% of the vote.

http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/05/colorado_previe.php

He'll get the minimum 35% needed, and Romanoff gets the rest.

It's gonna be a massacre for Bennet, and the only saving grace for him to be a lame duck now and get this useless turd moved out.

http://www.swingstateproject.com/diary/6925/cosen-bennet-takes-the-lead-norton-struggles-in-gop-primary



...And the match-ups:



...I read that as Bennet 3 over Norton, 10 over Weins and 6 over Buck; Romanoff 5 over Norton, 3 over Weins and 3 over Buck.

Although Romanoff does have a wider lead (+2) over Norton, who is leading the GOP polls by 5 (over Buck).

It belongs to the people of Colorado, and when we get into the booth this August, we will upend a carpetbagger and a wholly unqualified Democrat out of our seat. The people willwisely choose Andrew Romanoff.

Impressive, but no sweep... How's Romanoff going to pick up 13 points between now and August?

What is this supposed to mean, anyway? Bennet was properly appointed by Bill Ritter after Salazar moved to the Dept. of the Interior. So it's Bennet's fault that he was appointed to fill in for Salazar, and not elected? He's running for election right now!

Bennet has a liberal voting record - what is the real drive behind Romanoff?

or its needs.

Ritters choice of Bennet to replace Salazar in 2008 is highly unpopular, and none of the Colorado bigwigs will support Bennet 100%. His support is a mile wide, but only 1/2 inch deep. In fact, Bennet has accepted money from corporations, while Andrew Romanoff is refusing to accept any PAC or corporation money. His entire support is 100% grassroots, of which I am a member of. I have known Andrew as my state representative for many years, and has the knack and the knowhow to get the ball rolling. In fact, I would not be surprised to see Romanoff in a few years down the road challenge whatever corporatist Democrat for the Majority Leader and actually winning it. As a matter of fact, the CDPs pick was actually Romanoff over Bennet. Unfortunately, Ritter has bucked the bronco again and fucked the CDP with his own personal choice.

Bennet has shown absolutely nothing for his year and a half of work, only fake leadership and trying to sponsor something long after the horse left the barn - especially the health insurance reform. He sponsored a bill to add public option and still got nowhere with it. With that, the health insurance reform passed without a public option. That is called bullshit.

Bennet wont be voted back in. Hes history.

Hawkeye-X

...How's Romanoff going to pick up 13 points between now and August? Especially when he can't seem to raise any money from the "grassroots"? Assembly bounce?

While I've got your attention, how did Romanoff ever explain away his DLC heritage enough to convince you he was the right guy for the gig?

Think Dr. Dean.

...How's he going to pick up 13 points between now and August?

And how did he shed that DLC background enough to convince a DUer to support him??

Do you have a link that backs up that Romanoff is DLC? EDIT: Yes i see that Romanoff was a New Dem of the week. One problem: Andrew Romanoff has rejected the principles of the DLC two years ago. He has been on the ground, all over Colorado talking to people. The people know Andrew. I can ask a friend of mine who has Romanoff's ear and get a response on the DLC thing if that will help.


Flyers, knockers, informed citizen and radio ads will work fine here in Colorado.

TV ads arent king. I saw a Michael Bennet ad and was not impressed at all.

I have been doing some work or Romanoff for the last month and have done some data entry work. I talk to people about Romanoff here all the time.

I think Romanoff will lock up Denver, Pueblo and Northern Colorado. I dont know about the Western Slope and I will trust your guts on this one.

http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=254587&kaid=450017&subid=900179

http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=110&subid=136&contentid=254556">DLC New Dem of the Week: Andrew Romanoff

:shrug:

asking if Romanoff disavowed all that DLC represents.

And noticed that FDL chat with Andrew, he evaded the DLC question twice.

So I will ask directly.

And to your question about the Western Slope, I have no idea. I do know Bennet did a lot of small-town hopping early on, which made the small-towners happy. Same thing Ritter did, as I remember it. I met Ritter on the campaign trail in a Chinese restaurant that had 15 people in it at the same time and hasn't been that busy since. :D

you've lived in CO long enough to know how unreliable polls here are.


The real question is how Romanoff is going to overcome the flood of out of state money powering Bennet's campaign

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/18/bayhs-four-secret-sens/

Who Are The Anonymous ‘Three Or Four’ Senators In Bayh’s Blue Dog-Style Coalition?

This morning on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) discussed the creation of a new group of “moderate” Democratic senators whose goal is to “restrain the influence of party liberals.” MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell explained the implications of Bayh’s new group, saying “this is the group that will control the outcome politically on what can pass on the Senate floor.”

Bayh explained that his office would be issuing a press release detailing the group and its 15 inaugural members. This press release is now available and explains that the group is “will meet every other Tuesday before the Democratic Caucus lunch to discuss legislative strategies and ideas”:

he Moderate Dems are joined by a shared commitment to pursue pragmatic, fiscally sustainable policies across a range of issues, such as deficit containment, health care reform, the housing crisis, educational reform, energy policy and climate change.

In addition to Bayh, Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) will lead the group. Other members include: Sens. Mark Udall (D-CO), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Mark Begich (D-AK), Kay Hagan (D-NC), Herb Kohl (D-WI), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Mark Warner (D-VA).

Hopefully two of those people will be nixed from the list- Michael Bennet and Blanche Lincoln!

Remember Mr Sustak was told he'd be killed. He was told my many many he couldn't win. He won!

"no Dem convention winner has won a primary since '92"

"The Base" is noisy but it isn't really the base of the Democratic electorate.

Romanoff is far more of an established figure on the CO political scene than previous winners (read: Mike Miles) and to draw the conclusion you have is misguided. This isn't a race between "the base" and the "Democratic electorate". It's a race between an established Colorado politician and an outsider who is being pushed by the current administration and funded by east coast interests. It's not even about liberal vs centrist as the two aren't really that far apart politically.

What is wrong with the east coast?

influencing our politics. Would you like it if a candidate from your state was receiving most of his/her campaign money from another region of the country - a region who has shown in the past that it's idea of what is best for your state is made up of equal parts ignorance and greed?

"East Coast", in this case, is also a euphemism for Wall Street, and Bennett has received a large amount from there -

http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_13480952

And his connection to Philip Anschutz doesn't exactly fill me with confidence, either.

I grew up in Connecticut and have family in New York, on Long Island. I always laugh at the hatred toward the "elitist" east coast. What is so wrong with us besides our horrendous traffic? I have met a lot of transplants here and am always nice to them. There is corruption in every state too.

Certainly a lot of Californians, too, who moved here during the 90's tech boom, but they've continued to come.

and I'm originally from NY - I have, however, over time come to understand the anti "elitist east coast" POV that many westerners have. I even, more or less, agree with it.

ps - can Boulder even be considered part of Colorado for this discussion? I don't mean that as snark, btw. It certainly can be argued that Boulder exists outside of the mainstream of what many consider the Colorado lifestyle...

helped Salazar - this time, my Hispanic brothers and sisters like Romanoff.

because otherwise, these two aren't that dissimilar.

Michael Bennet looks like a clean-cut Republican


Andrew Romanoff looks like a Chomsky-esque Democrat


Really, neither look like anything, but I get the feeling that much of this has to do with persona more than politics. Although Bennet has a 100% lifetime voting score with the ACLU, and that he's supported by the SEIU, that means little to those in Colorado who have adopted the weird logic that Bennet is not quite "Democratic enough."

I don't get it.

Which is what Michael Bennet exactly is.

Sorry, Bennet is still not credible to me at all.

Romanoff has been in Denver a long time, since the early 90s.

He has established himself through the communities, and has risen himself in politics.

He served four terms (8 years) before being limited out as a State Representative. He was the first Democrat since 1975 to take the Speaker of the House position after the Democratic party recaptured their majority in the early part of the century.

Yeah, I'd give more credibility to Romanoff who has firmly established his ties with Colorado than to have a loose thread like Bennet

How does that make anyone more or less qualified to represent the state! You know this - it's always a surprise and a conversation when you meet someone who was actually born and raised here.

I don't find that to be a convincing argument, nor do I find the strength of one's support to be a convincing argument, either. Emotional support to me is more a frightening thing; zeal doesn't sway me as a voter.

I just have the feeling that - because Bennet was appointed, and not elected - that he therefore isn't "worthy" of holding office in the minds of many Colorado Democrats.

how stupid it was of him to "ask" the voters and his staff for impute, then when the consensus was "Romanoff" he goes and chooses Bennet. Why? My theory is - the President was very impressed with Michael Bennet (I read that somewhere) - and the good Guv wanted to impress the new POTUS.

CO Dems are voting for the guy they wanted to be senator from the time Salazar was appointed SOI.

All the Dems I know were PISSED about the Bennet appointment after the consensus was Romanoff. I'm not sure Bennet could've impressed us with a stellar performance but his lackluster wais-and-see-what-everyone-else-thinks-first methodology hasn't won him any friends at all.

Obama fund raised for him. I hope Bennett loses.

...Bennet was superintendent of Denver Public Schools, right?

I'm a product of the DPS system. A very good one. Pre-Bennet years.

Hawkeye-X

He did a lot of good for DPS. Even Romanoff knows better than to criticise Bennet's record of accomplishments there.

Most awkward moment was when I met Senator Bennet... while wearing an Andrew Romanoff button...

Why I Will Not Be Voting for Senator Bennet on Saturday


Politics is the art of compromise. Even when we elect someone we are in close agreement with, there are times they will disappoint us. And politicians need to win the vote to do anything. In Colorado, for a state-wide office, that means we elect moderate Democrats. That's the will of the people and to fight that is to tilt at windmills. In to this mix add interest groups and the need to raise obscene amounts of money, where a candidate must at least pay lip service to many of these groups, and you have a mess.

In the sausage factory we call Congress, with all these various forces, and so many ways to spin each vote, we are often left wondering just what we are getting from a given legislator. And they rarely take some clear unambiguous action that shifts them from hero to villain in a single moment. It would be nice if life was that simple - but it's not (although people on the far left and far right haven't learned that basic lesson).

So we're left having to read the tea leaves from what they do, and what they don't do. In the case of Senator Bennet, in my opinion, he has come down strongly on the side of the major banks. Or to be more accurate, on the side of the top executives that pull out hundreds of billions of dollars in bonuses yearly by privatizing profits and socializing risk. Why he has come down on their side I don't know. But clearly he has.



more -

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-thielen/why-i-will-not-be-voting_b_585386.html

"no Dem convention winner has won a primary since '92"