Wake-Up Call: And they're off!

The 2010 election is still more than thirteen months away, but the race for the U.S. Senate season occupied (for the past eight months) by Michael Bennet really starts this week. On Tuesday, former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton will formally announce her bid for the Republican nomination -- taking on...

By Patricia Calhoun

September 14, 2009

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The 2010 election is still more than thirteen months away, but the race for the U.S. Senate season occupied (for the past eight months) by Michael Bennet really starts this week.

On Tuesday, former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton will formally announce her bid for the Republican nomination -- taking on Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck and Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier, among others. She's making three official appearances that day, starting at the Tech Center, moving on to Colorado Springs and ending up in Grand Junction, her hometown.

And on Wednesday, Andrew Romanoff will make it official: The former Speaker of the House is challenging Bennet for the Democratic nomination, giving the party another primary for the seat that inspired the Mike Miles-Ken Salazar slugfest back in 2004. Romanoff will start with an announcement in Pueblo, then move on up to Colorado Springs and finish with an event at 5 p.m. September 16 in Washington Park.

Which is appropriate, because a few weeks ago, Bennet's re-election looked like a walk in the park. But now the race is on.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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