Subject: U.S. Congressional News

• Delegating Denver #23 of 56: Maine

  December 24, 2007

• Delegating Denver #24 of 56: Maryland

  January 2, 2008

• Q&A with Senator Bob Menendez

  July 2, 2008

• Q&A with Mark Udall

  July 3, 2008

• Upcoming DNC roundtable: lotsa ugly politicians and a smokin' hot celeb

  August 21, 2008

• Upcoming DNC roundtable: lotsa ugly politicians and a smokin' hot celeb

  August 21, 2008

• The Colorado officials who bucked the bailout -- and those who went along

  September 30, 2008

• The Green Candidate

  Armed with deep pockets, Terry Walker mounts a bid for governor.

  October 16, 1997

• Best Bookstore Wall of Ephemera

  Capitol Hill Books

  March 29, 2001

• Wake-Up Call: Mr. Salazar goes to Washington?

  Suddenly, all the political pundits are talking about a Salazar going to Washington. Not Ken Salazar, who'd apparently rather stay in his Senate seat than move to the Cabinet (but might be up for a future opening on the Supreme Court, where he'd be the first Latino justice), but his brother, John. And the talk isn't just of John Salazar possibly becoming Secretary of Agriculture, of course, but what would happen to his third district congressional seat if he does. Democ

  December 4, 2008

• Wake-Up Call: The trickle-down economics of an open Senate seat

  On Monday, Governor Bill Ritter offered Colorado journalists an advance look at what we can expect from the next legislative session: belt-tightening. But there's one sure, if risky, way to fill Colorado's coffers: Sell the Senate seat that could soon be vacated when Senator Ken Salazar moves to a Secretary of the Interior post -- if that's where the Obama cabinet carousel ultimately stops. If a governor can ask a million bucks for a vacant Senate seat in Illinois, what's the going rate

  December 16, 2008

• Wake-Up Call: An open Senate seat means more musical chairs

  At parties and openings, all the talk is about who's going to take Ken Salazar's seat in the U.S. Senate -- it's a lot more fun than talking about the economy -- and what spot might then open up. If outgoing Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff gets the nod, there's no game of musical chairs, because he won't leave a vacancy. If Diana DeGette leaves the House for the Senate, there would suddenly be a slot open in the coveted 1st Congressional District, a safe seat for just about any Democrat.

  December 17, 2008

• Wake-Up Call: Ritter's vote is in for Colorado Secretary of State

  At 9:30 a.m. this morning, Governor Bill Ritter will announce Colorado's next secretary of state, the culmination of a six-week process that officially started on the night of November 4, when Mike Coffman was elected to replace Tom Tancredo in the sixth congressional district. Although Ritter had the power to pick Coffman's replacement at any time (and a good candidate: term-limited legislator and runner-up to Coffman for the secretary of state seat in 2006), he instead established a task forc

  December 19, 2008

• Wake-Up Call: Watch the fireworks...over the Senate nomination

  Denver's fireworks display won't officially start until 9 p.m. December 31 (with a repeat performance at midnight), but there have already been plenty of explosive discussions over who, exactly, Governor Bill Ritter should nominate to fill Ken Salazar's soon-to-be-empty Senate seat -- and what coveted slot might then be empty. So far, the most talked-about spots are the first congressional district seat now occupied by Diana DeGette -- which could be vacant if Ritter buys DeGette's argument t

  December 29, 2008

• DeGette withdraws name from Senate consideration

  Diana DeGette has told Governor Bill Ritter that she's not interested in replacing Ken Salazar in the U.S. Senate. "After serious deliberation and consultation with my family, supporters and colleagues in Congress," she announced today, "I have concluded I can best serve the citizens of the First Congressional District and Colorado from my current leadership positions in the House of Representatives. As a Chief Deputy Whip and Vice Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I will pla

  December 30, 2008

• Wrong again! Ritter to announce Senate candidate tomorrow

  I haven't been so wrong about a political pick since I predicted that then-Lieutenant Governor Joe Rogers would lead a crowded pack in the Republican primary for the congressional seat ultimately claimed by Democrat Ed Perlmutter. Governor Bill Ritter just announced that he'll hold a news conference at 2 p.m. tomorrow (and not January 6, as I'd predicted this morning) to announce and introduce his appointee to the U.S. Senate. And that appointee won't be Perlmutter, or Andrew Romanoff, or John

  January 2, 2009

• Wake-Up Call: Batting clean-up before the legislative session

  Now that Michael Bennet has been named to take over for Ken Salazar in the U.S. Senate (no cowboy hat required), Colorado pols can get back to the business of running the state (at least until it's time to start running for whatever seat may be in play in 2010). Today, the Denver Board of Education will start looking for a new superintendent to replace Bennet. Hey, Andrew Romanoff is still looking for a job -- if he hasn't already been tapped to become the next coach of the Broncos. And o

  January 5, 2009

• The dollars and cents of Michael Bennet's Senate appointment

  More envy than pity has accompanied Bill Ritter's appointment of Denver Public Schools' Michael Bennet to fill Ken Salazar's soon-to-be-vacated U.S. Senate seat. But the folks at Face the State have found a reason to feel sorry for the rising political star: He'll be making less money in his new job than in his current one. Although he earns $160,000 per annum in base salary at DPS, assorted extras can push that total above $200,000, Face the State estimates -- well above the Senate pay of just

  January 5, 2009

• Letters to the Editor

  August 10, 2000

• Wake-Up Call: New jobs for Andrew Romanoff

  On November 5, the day after Democrats scored such a stunning upset in Colorado, I spotted affable, outgoing Colorado House of Representatives speaker Andrew Romanoff at the Saucy Noodle, of all places. He was on the phone with Bernie Buescher, the Grand Junction rep who'd looked to be next in line as speaker -- until he lost his seat on November 4. Six weeks later, Romanoff was one of three finalists for the Colorado Secretary of State's job -- and lost it to Buescher. And last week, he lost

  January 7, 2009

• Best Appearance by a Coloradan in a National Magazine

  March 29, 2001

• Best Secret Message on a Congressman's Stationery

  April 4, 2002

• Best Politician

  April 4, 2002

• Update: No delay in analog-to-digital conversion -- or in problems for some Denver viewers

  Update below: Yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of delaying the scheduled February 17 switchover from analog to digital broadcasting. If the House of Representatives follows suit, President Obama will sign the bill into law, pushing back DTV-day until June 12. But such a move will do nothing to assist folks like Michael Tietze, who's at the center of the January 22 Message column "The Digital Conversion Will Leave Some Coloradans in the Dark." Tietze has received analog-TV signals for

  January 28, 2009

• Dick Wadhams has a greeting for Barack Obama

  Dick Wadhams. Sweeping defeat in the 2008 elections hasn't made Colorado Republican Party boss Dick Wadhams any less feisty. On behalf of the state GOP, Wadhams purchased enormous advertisements in both the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post featuring the banner headline "COLORADO REPUBLICANS WELCOME BACK PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA..." Predictably, the ad's not much of a welcome -- more like a series of shots across the bow, including a couple aimed at new Colorado Senator Michael Bennet. But

  February 17, 2009

• A Louse in the House

  Doug Bruce stars in the newest reality TV show.

  January 31, 2008

• Who should replace Salazar in the Senate? Go straight to the Hart.

  December 25, 2008

• Haunted History

  October 25, 2007

• The Ginn Mill

  The natives are restless along Larimer Street.

  October 4, 2007

• Women's Work

  Colorado activists struck first on domestic violence.

  June 11, 1998

• The Answer Man

  July 5, 2007

• Off Limits

  Talk Scoop

  May 12, 2005

• Return of the Native

  Ben Nighthorse Campbell works in silver, but his future looks golden.

  February 24, 2005

• Year in Review

  2001? What 2001?

  December 27, 2001

• The Basement Tapes

  For Linda Chavez, the devil was in the details.

  January 11, 2001

• The New Turks

  April 1, 1999

• Plugging In to D.C.

  How Washington lobbyists--and some politicians--cash in on Colorado's local governments.

  April 30, 1998

• Power Steering

  Last session legislators gambled on a new program that lobbyists claimed would make Colorado's roads safer. Don't bet on it.

  November 13, 1997

• Athlete, Artist, Indian Chief

  From dark horse to Nighthorse, it's been one hell of a ride for Ben Campbell.

  September 12, 1996

• Kenny Be: Legislative Theater

  April 30, 2009

• Wake-Up Call: Senator for a day

  Back East for a conference, Mayor John Hickenlooper popped up to Canada, where his cousin, George Hickenlooper, is filming Casino Jack, a movie based on disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff that stars Kevin Spacey. John Hickenlooper was the inevitable star of another George Hickenlooper project, Hick Town, a sweet and savvy documentary that follows the mayor as he prepares the city for last summer's Democratic National Convention. But he's had bit parts in his cousin's movies before, and this one

  June 17, 2009

• Wake-Up Call: The chase is on

  On Saturday, as railroad enthusiasts chased the 65-year-old Union Pacific steam engine powering the Denver Post train to Cheyenne Frontier Days, the chase was also on inside the train: to find out if Bob Beauprez is going to throw his cowboy hat in the ring for the U.S. Senate seat that Michael Bennet has occupied for just six months. Beauprez managed to evade his questioners, although he did say that the race -- hypothetically speaking, of course -- will be a costly one, since Bennet has alrea

  July 20, 2009

• So that's why Polis has been so ballsy on health care: He's been making it rain on the Hill

  "I got money in the bank/Shorty what you drink?"​House Democrats are playing nice again, and moving closer to finding compromise on a stripped down version of the president's health-care plan. And wouldn't you know it, just days after irking upperclassmen with his very-un-freshman-like stance on the bill, Rep. Jared Polis (D-A Big Pile of Money) showed up on the Denver Post Op-Ed page this morning urging support for the president's plan: I am happy to say that significant progress has be

  July 30, 2009

• Nancy Pelosi in the hizzy

  The lightning rod named Nancy Pelosi.​The U.S. House of Representatives is on recess -- but that doesn't necessarily mean its members are having fun. They'll likely spend much of their time off pimping healthcare reform -- and to that end, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- the woman with giant eyes that seem capable of boring holes through lead walls -- is making a Denver-area appearance alongside two fellow Democrats, locals Diana DeGette and Jared Polis, at the Stout Street Clinic, 2100 Broa

  August 5, 2009

• What Robert Redford and fellow lefties are up to at the Project New West summit

  A Flickr photoRobert Redford, who's probably had some work done.​Today and tomorrow, political heavy hitters of the progressive persuasion throughout the region are meeting at the Colorado History Museum as part of the 2009 Western Summit, sponsored by Project New West, an organization that describes itself as "the leading authority on the values, issues, and demographics that define America's 'New West.'" Of course, not all the attendees hold elective office or are part of government bure

  August 13, 2009

• Wake-Up Call: Romanoff on the range

  ​"What's he doing in the Senate?" "Why, it's an honorary appointment. He's an honorary stooge." Frank Capra's classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was on TCM yesterday afternoon -- just the thing to warm up the set (and the sofa) before Jake Cutler returned to Mile High, particularly given all the buzz that Andrew Romanoff, former Colorado Speaker of the House, might jump into the U.S. Senate race, challenging Michael Bennet in the Democratic primary for the seat that he's held for all o

  August 31, 2009

• Does a Romanoff run give aid and comfort to the enemy?

  Andrew Romanoff.​The Republicans seem to be in complete disarray when it comes to finding a U.S. Senate candidate for 2010. But that doesn't mean the Democrats will be able to cruise to victory. Although current office-holder Michael Bennet handled his latest healthcare summit well, he's been underwhelming during his first months in office -- so much so that former Colorado House speaker Andrew Romanoff, who coveted the appointment Bennet got, is reportedly on the verge of launching a prim

  August 31, 2009

• Andrew Romanoff in the starting blocks

  Andrew Romanoff hopes to be house hunting in the near future.​As we pointed out in a blog last Thursday, former Colorado Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff is on the cusp of announcing a challenge to Senate appointee Michael Bennet. To that end, he's made one minor alteration at AndrewRomanoff.com, an address that hadn't been updated for months. Now, there's a small note near the top of the home page that reads, "New Website Coming Soon." Soon like tomorrow, when he'll formally step int

  September 15, 2009

• How frightened should Democrats be of House (not Senate) candidate Ryan Frazier?

  Ryan Frazier seen leaning to the left. It's a camera trick.​Earlier today, former U.S. Senate candidate Ryan Frazier officially became current House candidate Ryan Frazier, announcing his intention to challenge Representative Ed Perlmutter in the 7th Congressional District during an appearance at, of all places, the Brighton Ford dealership. (The concept: Ford didn't take federal bailout money. Mmm-kay.) Shortly thereafter, the Colorado Democratic Party released an attack on Frazier, with

  October 15, 2009

• Wake-Up Call: Frazier's congressional run no trial balloon

  ​Ryan Frazier made a smart move, even though his announcement last Thursday that he was switching from a run for the U.S. Senate to go for the 7th Congressional District seat currently occupied by Ed Perlmutter was completely overshadowed by a certain silver balloon. But someone took notice: The Colorado Democratic Party, which quickly sent out a release headlined "Democratic Party States Ryan Frazier Stoops To Blatant Political Opportunism:"

  October 20, 2009