Ritter Taps Bennet to Succeed Salazar in Senate from Colorado

In a surprising move, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter named Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet as the successor to US Senator Ken Salazar when Salazar resigns in the coming weeks to become the Secretary of the Interior in the new Obama Administration. It was believed by most there were a number of much better and qualified candidates to fill the upcoming vacancy. While many of those being speculated about withdrew from consideration (such as Congresswoman DeGette, Congressmen Perlman and Salazar, former Denver Mayor Pena, and others), a number of eminently qualified individuals with records of distinguished public service such as Andrew Romanoff, John Hickenlooper, Mike Feeley, and Gary Hart were passed over for the lessor qualified Bennet, whose record of elected public service is nil and has a less than sterling history of public service. The selection of Bennet has to be great news for Republicans across the nation and particularly in Colorado. While there was no chance the GOP would have beaten Ken Salazar in the 2010, the presence of Bennet heartens Republicans and gives them good reason to think the GOP can win back this seat they lost in 2004. If Romanoff or Hickenlooper were to have been Ritter's choice, the chance for Democrats continuing to retain this seat would be better. Overall, Ritter should have made a better selection for this critical seat, a choice that is likely to come back and haunt him and Democrats across the nation.

http://coloradoindependent.com/18718/its-official-ritter-taps-bennet-to-follow-in-salazars-very-large-bootsteps

http://rockymountainright.com/?q=node/569

http://www.squarestate.net/diary/7382/its-officially-offical-senator-michael-bennet

http://www.coloradopols.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8538

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