Michael Bennet's old boss, Phil Anschutz, donates to his senate opponent

Ryan Frazier did the smart thing when he dumped his campaign for the U.S. Senate to challenge Rep. Ed Perlmutter in the 7th Congressional District. The Republican hierarchy has clearly lined up in support of former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton, as evidenced by the luminaries named in her first campaign...

By Michael Roberts

October 21, 2009

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Ryan Frazier did the smart thing when he dumped his campaign for the U.S. Senate to challenge Rep. Ed Perlmutter in the 7th Congressional District. The Republican hierarchy has clearly lined up in support of former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton, as evidenced by the luminaries named in her first campaign finance report. As noted by CQ Politics, they include national GOP powerhouses such as John McCain, Mitch McConnell, Jon Kyl, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Charles Grassley, plus Coloradans like Bob Beauprez, who briefly considered running for Senate himself, plus one Phil Anschutz, gazillionaire.

Of course, Anschutz is a frequent donor to conservative candidates -- but he also used to employ the current senator, Michael Bennet. (Indeed, Bennet namechecked Anschutz during a recent KHOW appearance.) Apparently, Anschutz will hire Democrats. He'd just rather they not get elected.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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