Obama Endorses Colorado's Appointed Senator

By Greg Giroux | September 17, 2009 10:30 PM | | Comments (0)

Two days after he stumped for Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, President Obama is throwing his political clout behind another politically vulnerable Democratic senator: Michael Bennet of Colorado.

Bennet's campaign on Thursday released a statement from Obama in which the president said that "families in Colorado and across America need him in the United States Senate to help us revitalize our economy, improve our public schools, and pass health insurance reform - and I am proud to count him as my ally in those efforts."

"Michael has had my full support from day one and I look forward to working with him in the Senate for years to come," said Obama, who considered nominating Bennet, a former Denver schools superintendent, as his Education Secretary.

Obama's statement of support came on the heels of an announcement Wednesday by former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff that he will challenge Bennet in a Democratic primary next August. Bennet was appointed to the Senate in January, following Democrat Ken Salazar's resignation to become Obama's Interior Secretary, and has mediocre poll numbers in part because he is not well-known statewide.

A half-dozen Republicans are running for the Senate seat.

CQ Politics recently re-rated the Colorado Senate race as Leans Democratic, which gives Bennet a slight edge in a race that appears highly competitive.

To see how the 2010 Senate races are shaping up, check out the CQ Politics' election map.

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Categories: Colorado, Senate, White House

Tags: Bennet

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