U.S. Senate

Mike Coffman calls for vote on Violence Against Women Act he's rejected twice

Denver blog posts know the feeling. Colorado Pols on the post-close-election reinvention of the Congressman Dems refer to as "Mike 'Forcible Rape' Coffman," including his call for a vote on the U.S. Senate's Violence Against Women Act, which he previously eschewed. Denver Stiffs' Colin Neilson pre ... More >>

Colorado lawmakers inclined to legalize hiking the Manitou incline

While the clock ticks away on last-minute negotiations to avoid plunging the nation's economy over the dreaded fiscal cliff, the U.S. Senate did take steps late last night to provide a path up the side of a mountain -- and in the process transform thousands of Colorado scofflaws into legal hikers. A ... More >>

Barack Obama using anti-Ken Buck strategy against Mitt Romney

Denver blog posts have it goin' on. Colorado Pols thinks the Obama campaign's latest hit on Mitt Romney is reminiscent of the strategy Michael Bennet used to top Ken Buck in the 2010 U.S. Senate race. Mile High Report's Scotty Payne on the Broncos' depth chart. At Mile High Mamas, Erin Udell reve ... More >>

Ken Salazar's salary at center of David Vitter ethics complaint, CREW tells Keith Olbermann

Ken Salazar.​During last night's sophomore edition of Countdown on Current TV, Keith Olbermann featured an extended segment about Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filing an ethics complaint against Louisiana Senator David Vitter. But the man in the middle of the cont ... More >>

Ken Salazar: Democrats holding Senate might've been easier if he hadn't taken Obama's job offer

Ken Salazar.​Tired of the endless Ken Buck/Michael Bennet attack ads that have made it unsafe to turn on your television for the past month? Blame Barack Obama, who pulled Ken Salazar from his spot in the U.S. Senate and put him in the cabinet as the Secretary of the Interior. How's that worki ... More >>

DREAM Act rejection will come back to haunt Republicans, warns CO immigrant advocate

At the rally.​On Monday, advocates rallied at North High School in favor of the DREAM Act, which would have provided a path to citizenship for undocumented graduates from U.S. high schools. (See a recap and photos here.) But yesterday, Senate Republicans stalled the measure, likely killing it ... More >>

Colorado politics 2010 tarot deck

​Note: This story cartoon will appear in this week's issue of Westword. Politicians and tarot decks are amazingly similar. Both were created for trick-taking games, and both are largely used by the foolhardy to foretell the future. The personalities of Colorado's most widely known politicians ... More >>

Top ten political thefts of music

​ There's a certain political group that pays a lot of lip service to individual property rights -- raise your hand if this sounds familiar: Lower taxes, gun ownership, capitalism! As it turns out, there seems to be one aspect of individual property that certain group does not seem to respect ... More >>

Andrew Romanoff gets boost from White House job controversy

"It's nice to feel wanted."​In recent weeks, senatorial hopeful Andrew Romanoff has been under increasing pressure to talk about alleged job offers from the White House if he wouldn't challenge Democratic incumbent Michael Bennet in November, especially in light of similar claims made by Penns ... More >>

Personhood Amendment gains support of once-skeptical Republicans

Fetuses are people, too, according to Personhood USA.​Back in 2008, when 21-year-old Kristi Burton was pushing her "Personhood Amendment" -- an aggressively anti-abortion measure that claimed "person" applies to humans from their biological starting point -- even normally anti-choice Republica ... More >>

Kenny Be's Worst-Case Scenario: U.S. Senate candidate celebrity look-alikes

Colorado's political stars will shine as the candidates in the U.S. Senate race take to the stage. Don't be surprised to feel that you've seen it all before... In western wears and folksy airs, the seven Republican candidates (from left to right: Gary Kennedy, Vincent E. Martinez, Steve Barton, Jan ... More >>

Andrew Romanoff on staying in the Senate race: "If the fix is in, the fix should be thrown out"

Andrew Romanoff doesn't plan on going anywhere.​Earlier today, Andrew Romanoff defied the rumor mill by announcing his intention to continue his campaign for the U.S. Senate against Michael Bennet. After delivering a speech that can be read in its entirety below, Romanoff spoke to yours truly ... More >>

Now in the center ring: two Senate candidate supporters

In this corner, Gary Hart, the former senator who turned out to be very prescient on terrorism, stumping for Michael Bennet: "My twelve years serving Colorado in the U.S. Senate provides a unique perspective in defining an effective senator. Like most Coloradans, I take very seriously who represent ... More >>

Dick Wadhams calls Bill Ritter, Stephanie Villafuerte and the Denver DA's office "liars"

Dick Wadhams has a big stick, and he's not afraid to stir with it.​The pressure on Stephanie Villafuerte's nomination for U.S. Attorney shows no signs of diminishing. The release of a letter to Senator Mark Udall in which Villafuerte attempted to squash accusations that she'd accessed a crimi ... More >>

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: ... More >>

Wake-Up Call: Ryan Frazier dumps a clunker for a new race

​Ryan Frazier is trading in a clunker in favor of a much sleeker vehicle. Six months after the two-term Aurora City Councilman announced that he was running for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, he's pulling out of that race and making a fast course correction for the 7th Congress ... More >>

Jane Norton's introduction not too mavericky

Earlier this week, ex-Congressman Tom Tancredo said former Colorado Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton, then on the cusp of formally announcing her candidacy for the U.S. Senate, wasn't "ready for prime time" and was only running because she'd been urged to do so by Arizona Senator John McCain. Since ... More >>

ProgressNow Colorado takes aim at Jane Norton

ProgressNow Colorado's Michael Huttner during a recent Fox News appearance.​How do you know that Jane Norton, who announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate yesterday, is the first Republican in the race feared by Democrats? Because she's already under attack by ProgressNow Colorado, the most ... More >>

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 a ... More >>

Bob Beauprez abandoning candidacy but not spotlight

Bob Beauprez.​Despite signs earlier this month that Bob Beauprez was itching to take on Michael Bennet in the 2010 race for the U.S. Senate, the former congressman and failed gubernatorial hopeful has decided against taking the plunge. Still, it's clear that the temptation to run was strong. Y ... More >>

Wake-Up Call: Republican candidates on parade

​Politicians were out in force at the Arapahoe County Republicans fundraising roast of former congressman Tom Tancredo on Saturday. John Suthers, the only GOP member currently elected to a statewide office. Mike Coffman, who moved from a statewide office to fill Tancredo's seat in the Sixth Co ... More >>

Denver Blogs: Are Republicans desperate enough to nominate Bob Beauprez again?

He's b-a-a-a-a-ck....​Each day about this time, we cruise through the cyber-waters like sharks in search of bloggy chum. If you notice a rich, steaming bucket of news or opinion, scoop it our way. Insiders say Bob Beauprez is running for the U.S. Senate. Be still our beating hearts. (Colorado ... More >>

Mrs. Bob Schaffer's margarita mix is Coyote Ugly

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 noth ... More >>

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 Edu ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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 conferenc ... More >>

Colorado goes to the Dog

The January Esquire features profiles of fifty prominent Americans, one pegged to each state, talking about "What I've Learned." And who did the mag pick to represent celebrity-starved Colorado? An elder statesman like Gary Hart?  (BTW, he's my dark-horse candidate to return to the U.S. Senate.) ... More >>

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 ... More >>

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 cov ... More >>

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

Wake-Up Call: Building -- and budgeting -- for the future

The holidays push most action off the public calendar this week. Tonight at 5:30 p.m., Denver City Council will start the process of stuffing someone's stocking with coal: Over the next few weeks, councilmembers will decide whether to grant landmark status to two, '60s-era Hornbein and Wh ... More >>

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, beca ... More >>

Bob Schaffer’s election hopes are in the bag

Did you know Mike Coffman was running for Congress?

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

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

Q&A with Mark Udall

Delegating Denver #30 of 56: Montana

Q&A With Carl Bernstein

The Answer Man

Change Is Good

Immigration writer Luis Alberto Urrea highlights a Celebration of Democracy.

Best Slip of the Tongue by a Colorado Politician

Pete Coors

Off Limits

Can't we all just get along?

Mr. Stanley, We Presume

It's ready, fire, aim for the Libertarian candidate for Senate.

Dottie Lamm

The Better Half

LETTERS

PEOPLE & PLACES

A FUND TRIP TO DENVER

KEY SENATOR PRESSLER STOPS BY TO QUIETLY SCOOP UP CASH FROM LOCAL CABLE MOGULS.

AGAINST THE WIND

CONTRARY TO POPULAR OPINION, GALE NORTON'S QUEST FOR THE SENATE WILL BE ANYTHING BUT A BREEZE.