Report: Denver Superintendent To Be Appointed To Senate
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) will announce tomorrow who he is appointing to the Senate seat of Democratic Sen. Ken Salazar, the Rocky Mountain News reports, which Salazar will be leaving to become Barack Obama's Secretary of the Interior.
There are many names out there as to who could get it: Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Rep. John Salazar (brother of Ken), state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, and many others. Polling has suggested that any of the notable Democrats would start out as the favorite to hold the seat against the Republicans in 2010, due to the state's recent big shifts to the Democrats.
Think of how remarkable it is, in this day and age: A Senate seat being filled in a calm and orderly fashion.
Late Update: The Rocky Mountain News now reports that the appointee is expected to be Michael Bennet, the superintendent of the Denver public schools.
Hickenlooper mania!!
January 2, 2009 12:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
"A Senate seat being filled in a calm and orderly fashion."
How boring.
January 2, 2009 12:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
There is not a Udall or Kennedy who could be appointed?
January 2, 2009 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Michael Bennet -- No! I would prefer Andrew Romanoff, but more than that -- Mr. Bennet is an excellent Superintendent for DPS. It will be a great loss, but, perhaps, Andrew will become DPS Superintendent -- that would be excellent as well. Mr. Bennet lives a few blocks from me and has a nice wife and three young daughters. He is not afraid to take a stand and follow through! All in all a pretty good choice.
January 2, 2009 1:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great profile of Bennett in the New Yorker last Sept. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/01/15/070115fa_fact_boo by Katherine Boo.
January 2, 2009 1:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
i did it, i read 12-page new yorker article online! it was good, and it shows the guy's ambition and engagement. I liked this quote:
“We’ve been trying to erect reforms over this weak political, economic, and cultural scaffolding,” Bennet said after one long day of visits. “It’s not impossible, but, God, it’s really, really hard.”
Reading the article you get the sense that the guy learned a lesson about challenges poor minority students face. I'm intrigued.
January 2, 2009 6:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nothing personal with Bennet but ....
Gee, a moderate white guy appoints another moderate white guy. What a shock! When does that ever happen?
With the continuing difficulty of minorities and women to join the old white boys club (i.e. the US Senate, you know the one Harry Reid is all in a bother about with Blago's appointment), good old Governor Ritter who apparently doesn't know any black or hispanic females picks a decent enough white guy.
Come on Governor, you could have done Colorado a whole lot better than that!
January 2, 2009 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Apparently you do have something personal against Bennett -- he's a moderate white guy.
January 2, 2009 2:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm sure Ritter will appreciate a lecture on diversity from a person who uses the image of a mass murderer as his avatar.
January 2, 2009 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's hoping your avatar is at least as tongue-in-cheek as mine.
January 2, 2009 2:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hey, I am all for a woman or minority being a senator from Colorado; however, the only really good candidate that was a woman was Diana DeGette and she is way to liberal for outside her Congressional District (which is the one I live in) and as for minorities -- really not much to chose from. Ken Salazar's brother, John, wins in his Congressional District, which is predominately Republican, but I don't know of another Democrat that could win there; so, he needs to stay in the House. We have many minorities that are currently in the Colorado Congress, including our new Speaker of the House, but I don't think they would win state wide office at this time. Obama won because Denver, Boulder and Pueblo Counties went for him-- not from the whole state. We are still very close to being a red state even though Obama won here.
January 2, 2009 4:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Blue Heron, you're right on in your comment. My county (Boulder) went 75/25 for Obama, but would not be nearly that favorable to a perceived "extreme" candidate. I think this choice will come to be seen as inspired.
January 2, 2009 11:39 PM | Reply | Permalink