As he concedes, "I think it's crazy that you'd have to sell your house to run for the Senate" -- and while he's been renting back the abode from its buyer, he only has "a couple of weeks left before I move out."
Not that he'll wind up on the street.
"I've had a lot of nice offers from friends and family, and I'll be fine," he emphasizes, adding, "My dog's gotten more offers than I have."
And why not? Who wouldn't love a rescue dog named Zorro?
Romanoff's been in the home for fourteen years, making packing a considerable chore, and he knows he'll miss plenty about the place once he leaves. "It's a nice neighborhood, and I've got a lot of nice neighbors," he points out. "But it was a good investment when I bought it back in 1996, and I'm sure I'll be able to find another place to live."
Besides, "a lot of people have made a lot more sacrifices or suffered a lot worse fates than this. I made the decision to run for the Senate and to sell my house to finance my campaign, and I did pretty well. But I met a lot of people who are facing bigger challenges than I am. They're the reason I ran. And I don't believe in complaining about things."
Indeed, Romanoff's spirit was buoyed earlier this week when a couple of dozen supporters gathered at his old campaign headquarters "to invite people to the party and to dial for dollars. And the experience was really very moving to me. I looked around the room, which had been all emptied out after the primary, and it was filled with people who could have chosen to spend their time in some other way -- and they came out to help retire the debt. That was only one of the experiences during and after the campaign that have been very gratifying to me, and humbling."
At this point, Romanoff doesn't know what he'll do next, but he's not ready to swear off politics. When asked if he'll say something at the party along the lines of "You won't have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore," he laughingly reels off a Nixon reference of his own: "I'm tanned and rested, but I'm not ready yet."
More seriously, he says, "I don't have any plans at the moment, but I was proud to run for office five times, and I got elected four times."
That's an impressive winning percentage. Now if he just knew where he'll be living at this time next month...
Page down to get details about tonight's party:
You're invited to a party!
HOST COMMITTEE (in formation): Ed Augden, Sally Augden, Hon. Polly Baca, Patricia Barela Rivera, Hon. Susan Barnes-Gelt, Christine Benero, Nanette Bergman, Juana Bordas, Jim Bunch, Linda Bunch, Cap Caplan, Eliza Carney, Phyllis Chacon, Hon. Fran Coleman, Hon. Lois Court, Tim Damour, Teresa Duran, Hannah Evans, Mark Gallegos, Julia Hicks, Dr. Reo Leslie, Ralphie Lutrey, Joe Machala, Joelle Martinez, Hon. Ramona Martinez, Larry Martinez, Cec Mascarenas, Hon. Joe Neguse, Jesse Ogas, Elizabeth Pace, Cindy Pena, Bernie Rogoff, Hon. Chris Romer, Hon. Roy Romer, Linda Sand, Jacqui Shumway, Patti Shwayder, Ken Smith, Brian Stockmar, Joan Strauss, Henry Strauss, Angela Williams (If you would like to join the host committee, please email [email protected].)
Please join us in thanking our supporters and celebrating Andrew Romanoff's 44th birthday!
DATE: Thursday, August 26th
TIME: 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
PLACE: Romanoff HQ, 2223 S. Monaco Pkwy. E8, Denver
RSVP: 303-586-6510 or [email protected]
In honor of Andrew's birthday, we are asking individuals to contribute $44, $144, or $1044. Proceeds will help us retire our campaign debt.
If you can't attend the party, you can still make a contribution of $44, $144, or $1044 online or by mailing a check to: Romanoff for Colorado, 191 University Blvd #721, Denver, CO 80206.
Contributions to Romanoff for Colorado are not tax deductible and are limited by federal law to $2400 for the Primary campaign. To comply with federal law, we must use best efforts to obtain information regarding a contributor's occupation and employer. Contributions may not be made in the name of another.