Reports: Sen. Salazar replacement picked

Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet will be
appointed to replace Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), according to a local news
report Friday.

The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News both cited anonymous sources, who said Gov. Bill Ritter (D) would
announce the pick on Saturday.

The Bennet pick comes as a surprise, as his name was not often
mentioned as a potential appointee.

{mosads}Among those pursuing the seat were Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper
(D) and Democratic members of the state’s House delegation.Salazar agreed last month to become President-elect
Obama’s Interior secretary, freeing up a battleground seat.

Bennet’s appointment will be pending Salazar’s
confirmation, which is not expected to be in any kind of jeopardy.

It is not clear whether he will run for the seat in 2010,
when a full term is up, but Bennet, 44, is young and ambitious. Democrats would
be banking on him to hold a seat in what thus far appears to be their toughest
defense of the cycle.

His name was not mentioned in much of the early
speculation surrounding Salazar’s seat. More recently, he was thought to be a
potential replacement for Hickenlooper if the mayor were appointed to the
Senate.

Bennet was also in the mix to become Obama’s secretary of
Education, given his successful three-year stint as schools superintendent. He
advised Obama, who ended up picking Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan, on
education issues during the 2008 campaign.

The move could raise eyebrows, though, because the former
attorney is a newcomer to elective office. His current position is an appointed
one, and, prior to that, he served as Hickenlooper’s chief of staff.

The move could displease more liberal Democrats. Bennet
has in the past taken on the teachers’ union — though the union now supports
him — and he is a former dealmaker for conservative Republican oilman and Qwest
founder Phil Anschutz.

It is also likely to disappoint Hispanics, who hoped to
replace Salazar with his older brother, Rep. John Salazar (D-Colo.). 

Hispanics are also losing Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), who
will not run for reelection in 2010.

John Salazar’s House seat would have been in severe
jeopardy had he taken the appointment, which made appointing him a less
attractive choice for Democrats.

Among the other potential candidates, there were
drawbacks. 

Hickenlooper is popular, but he is not union-friendly and
therefore risked a primary challenge. Former Senate candidate Tom Strickland
was also interested, but he had lost two Senate races already.

Bennet is something of a golden boy at this point, though
not well-known and a newcomer to the political scene.

His appointment could also help cement Ritter’s centrist
credentials in what looks to be a potentially difficult reelection race.
Colorado has trended toward Democrats in recent years in statewide races, but
remains a swing state.