Three names top list to fill Salazar's Senate seat

An intense scramble emerged among differing political camps in Colorado at the news that Sen. Ken Salazar will be nominated today as President-elect Barack Obama's secretary of the interior.

Most political insiders seemed bullish on three names likely to be on Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter's list for potential Senate appointments to replace Salazar.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, outgoing state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and U.S. Rep. Ed Perl mutter are three of the names in serious contention, strategists said.

Ritter's office declined to comment on the deliberations until after Obama formally announces Salazar's selection to the Interior Department post, which sources said is scheduled to happen this morning.

"Ed is on that very, very short list," said Perlmutter adviser Scott Chase, who said he had spoken with members of the Ritter administration about it. "He's a centrist, middle-of-the-road-type Democrat and a strong fit for the state."

Perlmutter boasted large victories in his suburban district, which splits evenly among Democratic, Republican and unaffiliated voters. About $600,000 left in his 2008 campaign kitty could be used to help him in the 2010 race, though he has never raised money statewide.

Steve Farber, finance chairman for Salazar's soon-to-be-scrapped re-election campaign, suddenly became even more popular than normal among Democrats. He said he had received a flurry of telephone calls about the Senate position.

Farber declined to specify just what was transpiring behind the scenes, but he talked up the strengths of Hickenlooper, saying he had high poll numbers statewide and could appeal as a moderate businessman despite being hugely popular in liberal Denver.

Hickenlooper received a little ribbing Tuesday about the prospect that he might be Senate-bound during his weekly meeting with members of the City Council. At that meeting, the mayor unveiled a special inaugural-edition button designed by Denver artist Hadley Hooper: "From Denver to DC!" the button proclaims, with a kicking silhouette of a donkey.

"Are you going to wear this today?" ribbed Councilman Charlie Brown, alluding to the potential for a Senate appointment. The mayor didn't respond, either missing the allusion or wanting to leave his intentions purposefully vague. Later in the day, the mayor's spokeswoman, Sue Cobb, released this comment on his behalf:

"Senator Salazar has helped Denver and Colorado immeasurably throughout his career, and I am confident he will continue to do so whether he remains a U.S. senator or moves to a cabinet position. Until he should choose to leave his post in the Senate, it would be premature to speculate on who might replace him."

Romanoff was making calls gauging support. "I told the governor that I would be happy to serve in any capacity that he deems fit," said Romanoff, who is also a finalist for an appointment to the Colorado secretary of state's office. "Ken Salazar would be a tough act to follow."

Others stressed that the suggested contenders are all white men from the Denver metro area. U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette's supporters made a strong push back, noting that she is the dean of the state's congressional delegation and a national player in health care and other debates.

Some said that Salazar's brother, U.S. Rep. John Salazar, who recently took a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, would appeal to Latinos and has a base in a rural, conservative district.

John Salazar could not be reached for comment Tuesday, but two sources close to the brothers said supporters had urged Ritter to consider appointing John Salazar to the Senate, and Ritter had said he couldn't commit and would consider everybody.

Were Hickenlooper appointed to the seat, Deputy Mayor Bill Vidal, who is also the city's public works manager, would ascend to the position of mayor (City Council President Jeanne Robb would get the nod if Vidal declined). A special mayoral election would then be held in May.

If one of the U.S. House members vacates a seat, a special election would be scheduled. That prospect entices Republicans, particularly in John Salazar's district, where Republicans have a voter-registration advantage; and in Perlmutter's district, which is evenly split among Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated voters.

Former state lawmaker and businessman Paul Sandoval said he'll push to have Latino input in Ritter's process to fill Salazar's seat but acknowledged the "pickings are very slim" to replace Salazar with another Latino.

"There aren't a lot of names out there I can come up with, honestly," he said, noting that former mayor Federico Peña is getting talked up, but might not want to leave the private sector to raise the $8 million to $10 million required for statewide run.

Pat Waak, the state Democratic Party chair, said she's not worried about keeping the Senate seat in 2010.

"Whoever gets appointed will have two years in the Senate," she said, stressing that Democrats have built up their bench. "They will be an incumbent, and we all know it's hard to challenge an incumbent."

Dick Wadhams, the state GOP chairman, conceded that Hickenlooper "is immensely popular as the mayor of Denver" but said "he'll look a lot different after two years of votes in the U.S. Senate."

Wadhams said that while each of the other prospective Democrats had their strengths, they also had significant weaknesses.

Romanoff spent much of the past year "running all around the state trying to gut TABOR and failed miserably," said Wadhams, referring to Amendment 59, which would have changed both the educational funding formula and Taxpayer's Bill of Rights.

Perlmutter is the favorite pick of unions, Wadhams said, which isn't likely to help him with many Colorado moderates.


Source: denverpost.com