Romney aide Alberto Martinez told Bloomberg that Hispanic voters will vote for Romney because Romney has “the best plan to improve the economy.”

In Colorado, some Republicans are taking that line while others say the party is dreaming if it thinks the eventual nominee can get a mulligan on immigration simply by talking about the economy.

The New York Times on Friday had a front page story about GOP efforts to appeal to Hispanic voters in Colorado and other swing states with an economy-first message.

PUEBLO, Colo. — For many years, and multiple election cycles, Republicans talked about the growing Hispanic vote in America like moonstruck, misunderstood boys at a high school dance. They could not connect, despite believing that they shared much in common, especially with socially conservative, religious Hispanic voters who would one day realize how charming Republicans could be.

Now, with the Hispanic vote poised to become a deciding factor in several crucial swing states, Republican leaders think they have found a fresh approach — an appeal to Hispanics’ growing distress over the sluggish economic recovery…

“Illegal immigration is on the back burner. The DREAM Act is on the back burner. American Hispanics are concerned about the lint in their wallets. I used to have dollars in my wallet; now I have change. Hispanics are concerned about the broken economy and they are concerned about jobs. People are skittish about investing in America and that won’t change until we get Obama out of the White House,” said Martin Mendez, executive director of the newly formed Colorado Hispanic Republicans.

Back burner may be relative. It was just a couple of weeks ago that Mendez spent the better part of an hour bashing the Colorado Asset Bill, a state-version of the DREAM Act, on the Mike Rosen show.

Many, though, are skeptical that a focus on the economy will help Republicans in Colorado’s Latino communities.

Federico Pena weighs in

“I think President Obama will get a higher percentage of Latino votes this time than he got four years ago,” Obama For America Co-Chair Federico Pena told The Colorado Independent.

“This time they do not have a candidate as good as John McCain. Their terrible rhetoric on immigration is driving people away from the GOP and so they are trying to pivot away from that and talk about jobs, but it won’t work,” Pena said. Pena is a former mayor of Denver and former secretary of transportation.

Obama For America Co-Chair Federico Pena (Image courtesy of Pena)

“President Obama has created four million new jobs and the economy has had 20-some straight months of growth. When people go to the polls in November they are going to see an economy that is improving,” Pena said. “When they ask themselves, ‘does the GOP have a better economic strategy?’ the answer is going to be ‘no’,” Pena said.

Immigration rhetoric looms large

It isn’t just partisan Democrats like Pena who think the GOP will have a hard time getting Hispanic voters to forget about immigration.

Steven Rodriguez, national vice president of Somos Republicans and a former Pueblo city councilman, agrees that the economy is the most important issue, but says the Republican candidates in the race don’t seem to have much to say about the economy but instead seem unduly focused on immigration and other racially tinged issues.

“Santorum is in Puerto Rico talking about English-only, and that has nothing to do with the economy,” Rodriguez said. “Romney is trying to create a race war, but neither one of them is talking about the economy. Before they can appeal to Hispanic voters on economic issues, they have to stop the race baiting. They have to stop demonizing people.”

Rodriguez said Romney is tracking at 8 percent support among Hispanic voters. “I don’t see that changing,” he said. Other polls have Romney as high as 13 percent against Obama among Hispanics.

Steven Rodriguez (Image courtesy of Rodriguez)

Kobach, Kansas secretary of state, is a leading advocate of Arizona/Alabama style immigration laws.

“The economy is important to everyone, not just to minorities,” Rodriguez added.

From The New York Times again:

This year, it (the Hispanic vote) is expected to be even more important, especially as the Hispanic populations have risen substantially in several swing states — places like Colorado and Nevada, where generations of political calculus are being transformed by this growing demographic group that is generally aligned with the Democrats.

The big question that could ripple through the swing-state belt is how strongly that Democratic alignment will hold this time — and for the Republicans, whether the tough anti-immigrant talk that has often laced through this year’s presidential primaries will create headwinds among Hispanic voters that will be tough to counter. Mr. Obama’s support last time was less than some other Democratic presidential candidates received: President Bill Clinton in 1996 and Michael S. Dukakis in 1988 both had slightly stronger numbers.

“If it’s only 60 percent, then states such as Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico are going to be in play; if it’s 80 percent, he will probably win those states,” said John J. Pitney Jr., a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College in California. “A lot of it is going to depend on the state of the economy.”

While the economy will no doubt play a huge role in the election, it may not be sufficient to make up for the ill will that has been created around immigration.

“Republicans have done a mystifying job of either ignoring or offending Hispanic voters,” Mark McKinnon, a strategist who worked for former President George W. Bush, said in the Bloomberg article. “And the consequences for the general election are likely to be significant and perhaps determinative to the outcome.”

Jim Carpenter, former chief of staff to then Governor Bill Ritter and now a principal in the Democratic strategy firm Stratton-Carpenter & Associates, says focusing on the economy could be a great strategy for Republicans… but won’t work.

“It’s a good strategy but they won’t be able to implement it,” Carpenter said. “If you look at the economic policies the Republicans are actually pursuing, and if you look at their policies on education funding, health care and immigration, it just isn’t that attractive to Latino voters.”

Colorado Democratic Party Communications Director Matt Inzeo makes the case that even if Hispanic voters can be distracted from thinking about the GOP’s immigration policies, they’ll find that Obama more than holds his own on economic issues.

“The recovery is making slow, steady progress. We’ve had two consecutive years of job growth. Colorado is outpacing the country in reducing unemployment,” Inzeo said.

Mendez, though, says the economy will play to the favor of Republicans. “All working people in Colorado, including Hispanics, have seen the Obama administration’s failure to offer any effective economic solutions, and the president will have to face those consequences come election day,” he said.

“In my opinion, its looking good for us right now,” Mendez said.

Perhaps Colorado’s most prominent Hispanic currently in office, Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia, a Democrat, disagrees.

Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia (Kersgaard)

From The Times:

Mr. (Joe) Garcia, the lieutenant governor, said his greatest allies in the effort to engage and energize Hispanic voters were the Republican presidential hopefuls. In debates and speeches on the primary trail, he said, they have competed with one another to talk tough about ethnicity, education and the path to citizenship in ways that do not play well in Hispanic Colorado.

“The Republicans just keep digging a deeper hole,” he said.

(Image on homepage: Kersgaard)

The campaign said The co-chairs will serve as ambassadors for the President, advise the campaign on key issues, and help engage and mobilize voters.

“Colorado families were facing incredible challenges as the nation struggled through the worst recession since the great depression. The President made difficult decisions that have helped turn the economy in a positive direction,” Bennet said by email.

“He is committed to addressing major challenges – reforming education, rebuilding our infrastructure and incentivizng an innovation economy – to ensure we compete in the 21st century and leave more opportunity for our kids and grandkids.”

“The President’s National Co-Chairs will be tremendous assets on the ground as we build the biggest grassroots campaign in history,” said Jim Messina, Obama for America Campaign Manager. “They each share the President’s vision for a future where every American can have a fair shot at success, where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded.”

Pena told The Colorado Independent he is honored to serve as a co-chair, a position he also held in 2008.

He said being a co-chair means acting as a surrogate for the president, giving advice to the campaign, and making appearances and giving speeches on Obama’s behalf.

In 2008, Pena said he visited seven states on behalf of the campaign. “I have a great affinity for the West and so I’m happy to help in that way.

“I think President Obama has done a solid job. He hasn’t accomplished everything he might have wanted to, but he has accomplished a lot and I will remind people of that. I don’t think the administration has always done a very good job of marketing, if you will, just letting people know everything he has done.”

Pena ticked off a handful of things that he said Obama has done in the first three years of his term, including passing health care reform, the Recovery Act and the auto industry bail-out.

“The Recovery Act saved thousands of jobs. Obama’s quick work in getting that passed prevented a depression. There is no question about that. His investment in Detroit and the auto industry saved that industry and kept those jobs in the United States. People like Mitt Romney said ‘let it go bankrupt.’”

On the subject of health care reform, Pena said the reform had enabled thousands of Coloradans to remain on their parents’ policies for a few more years and has stopped insurance companies from discriminating against people with preexisting conditions.

“He has doubled the amount of money available for Pell Grants to college students and has extended tax cuts to families paying for college,” Pena continued.

Pena also praised the president for his energy policies, which Pena said have helped reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil while also encouraging domestic development of both alternative energies and oil and gas.

“Many Americans don’t think we should have spent a trillion dollars fighting three wars. Well, President Obama didn’t think so either and he has gotten us out of Iraq, has us almost out of Afghanistan and has focused on Al-Qaeda which is where the focus should have been all along,” Pena said.

“We need to reelect him so that he can continue his work building a sustainable economy. Unemployment is down, but there are still a lot of people hurting. Republicans aren’t saying anything new–just reduce taxes on the wealthiest, that’s their plan. Independents and moderates are moving away from the Republicans and supporting Obama, for good reason.”

Pena praised proposed changes to the tax code that Obama announced today.

From the White House announcement:

In my State of the Union, I laid out a blueprint for an economy that’s built to last — where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone pays their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. That includes a tax code that rewards companies who invest and create jobs in the United States of America.

Our current corporate tax system is outdated, unfair, and inefficient. It provides tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas and hits companies that choose to stay in America with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It is unnecessarily complicated and forces America’s small businesses to spend countless hours and dollars filing their taxes. It’s not right, and it needs to change.

That’s why my administration released a framework for reform that simplifies the tax code, eliminates dozens of tax loopholes and subsidies, and promotes job creation right here at home. It’s a framework that lowers the corporate tax rate and broadens the tax base in order to increase competitiveness for companies across the nation. It cuts tax rates even further for manufacturers that are creating new products and manufacturing goods here in America. Finally, because no company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas, this framework includes a basic minimum tax for every multinational company. This reform is fully paid for, and it won’t add a dime to the deficit.

As I said in the State of the Union, it is time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America.

Romney also released a tax proposal today.

Speaking at Denver’s Lincoln High School Tuesday, President Obama said that if Congress passed his jobs bill it would put thousands of Coloradans back to work. See his speech below.

He said much of the world is moving past America in their investments in education, research and basic infrastructure, and that it is time for America to lead again.

He was joined at Lincoln by a who’s who of Colorado Democrats, including Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, Governor John Hickenlooper, former Denver Mayor Federico Pena, and U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette and Ed Perlmutter, and current Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.

From The New York Times:

Neither Mr. Obama’s choice of Colorado, nor of this heavily Latino high school in a struggling part of Denver, were remotely accidental. He carried Colorado in 2008, and with his support wobbling in other swing states like Ohio, analysts believe he will need to hold on to it next year to put together a winning electoral map.

But Colorado, as much as any state, symbolizes the ebb tide in Mr. Obama’s political fortunes. He accepted the Democratic nomination in this state and signed the $787 billion stimulus package here. But with the jobless rate here rising to 8.5 percent from 7.4 percent since then, even Democrats here say Colorado could be an uphill battle.

…

“If asking a millionaire to pay the same tax rate as a plumber or a teacher makes me a class warrior, a warrior for the middle class, I will accept that; I’ll wear that as a badge of honor,” Mr. Obama said. “Because the only class warfare I’ve seen is the battle that’s been waged against the middle class in this country for a decade now.”

For all the populist fire on display, Colorado may be kinder to Mr. Obama than the traditional battlegrounds of the Midwest because of its more affluent and educated independent voters.

While Mr. Obama has lost support among independents generally, he retains a narrow approval rating — 50 percent to 43 percent — among those who earn more than $100,000 a year, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. A senior adviser to Mr. Obama said his message of innovating to keep America competitive would also resonate with the technology workers sprinkled through Denver’s suburbs.

From The Washington Post:

On Tuesday, Obama wrapped up a three-day, three-state western swing by rallying students and teachers at Abraham Lincoln High School in Denver, his latest method of highlighting the education proposals and putting public pressure on congressional Republicans to support the jobs bill.

“Places like South Korea are adding teachers in droves to prepare their kids for the global economy. We’re laying ours off left and right,” Obama told students and teachers in the school’s parking lot. “All across the country, budget cuts are forcing superintendents to make choices they don’t want to make. . . . It’s unfair to our kids; it undermines their future; it has to stop.”

Video of the speech, from Colorado Pols:

The contest between Chris Romer and Michael Hancock for mayor of Denver is getting to the point where Tom Tancredo may need to step in and mediate.

Tuesday as former mayor Federico Pena was announcing his endorsement of Chris Romer at a press conference, he and others were interrupted by Hancock supporters, at least one of whom–Kendra Sandoval–was a paid staffer.

In response, two former mayoral candidates have written letters of protest. James Mejia wrote to Hancock, while Theresa Spahn sent a letter out to Romer supporters.

Mejia’s letter:

Dear Michael:

For the second time in as many weeks, members of your campaign staff and supporters showed up at press conferences that I organized. In the first press conference, I announced my endorsement of Chris Romer for Mayor while representatives of your campaign, including at least three paid staff members, stood in the audience in my campaign office and another representative stood in the front row with the media. All representatives wore Hancock buttons.

Yesterday, as Federico Peña endorsed Chris Romer for Mayor at another press conference, at least one Hancock staff member and at least two other supporters attended the press conference. This time your staff member interrupted our press conference attacking Chris Romer regarding an ad that highlights your decision to vote in favor of a City Council pay raise which she claimed is negative campaigning. One of your supporters also interrupted the press conference with a similar comment.

The irony of their comments regarding negative campaigning is that I consider their attempts at intimidation and interrupting our press conference to be negative campaigning itself.

I have a few questions for you:

Have you authorized your staff to attend my press conferences and those of Chris Romer?

If you have authorized their attendance, have you authorized the interruption of our events?

Do you consider interrupting an opponent’s press conference to be negative campaigning?

Do you consider attempts at intimidation at my events to be negative campaigning?

I am proud to have had very positive relationships with the staffs of all other campaigns. I haven’t held it against you that some of your supporters have been offensive in expressing their dissatisfaction with my decision to support Chris Romer. I realize that they may not speak for your campaign.

However, these latest actions of intimidation by your staff are inappropriate and as their employer, I feel you are accountable for their actions and that they represent your sentiment and campaign. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

James Mejia

From Spahn’s letter:

Michael Hancock’s actions in the last few weeks are unacceptable, and he has shown time and again a lack of judgment under pressure.

Last week, a prominent Hancock surrogate called both James Mejia and me and our supporters losers after we announced our support of Chris Romer for Mayor.

Yesterday, it got worse.

A senior Hancock staffer and other Hancock supporters came to our press conference with Secretary Federico Peña. During his endorsement of Chris Romer, they heckled and interrupted Secretary Peña.

You heard that right. A paid Hancock staffer interrupted a press conference to disrespect and heckle the former Mayor of Denver who served in not one but two cabinet positions under President Clinto

It is hard to say where the trouble between the two began, but this ad from Romer seems to have set off the most recent round.

Hancock posted a response to the Romer ad on his website, and then released an ad of his own:

Wednesday, during a debate, Hancock and Romer actually discussed the squabble, with Hancock noting he had apologized to Pena for the flare up, but when Romer asked him what he had done about it in terms of his handling of Sandoval, Hancock said that was none of Romer’s business.

See that mix-it-up here:

Undocumented students and supporters wear shirts declaring what they want to be when they grow up.

High school students erupted in tears in the House Education Committee Monday as Rep. Tom Massey’s, R-Poncha Springs, gavel dropped, ending the life of a bill that would have allowed them to pay instate tuition despite their status as undocumented immigrants. Rep. Robert Ramirez, R-Westminster, said that while he voted against the bill this year he planned on working over the summer to help make changes to ASSET that would make it more palatable to both his constituents and fellow Republicans.

The Republican committee killed the bill on a party-line 7-6 vote. Democrats had thought they might be able to sway one Republican vote. Despite Republican amendments and a room full of undocumented children concerned about their futures, Democrats were wrong. However, they did see some hope as one Republican who voted no Monday, said he could very well be a “yes” next time.

“It breaks my heart to have to do it, today,” Ramirez told the Colorado Independent about his “no” vote on the legislation. “But hopefully in the near future we will be able to make some changes.”

Those changes would come in two forms, he said. Ramirez first explained he would work with bill sponsors, Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver, and Rep. Joe Miklosi, D-Denver, to bring the Colorado congressional delegation together on the need for federal immigration reform. Ramirez further said he planned to work over the summer to bring a bill similar to ASSET that would be more palatable to both Republicans and the voters.

Rep. Robert Ramirez, said his vote would be a bad one, no matter how he voted.

“We have to do something and we need to do it soon,” Ramirez said. “That is why I am going to work over this summer to try and take another look at this legislation and take a look at putting some different components in it that would make it more palatable.

“We need to get on board right now on making the difference in getting these kids in school and we need to help them where we can. Unfortunately, today, I had to say ‘no’ to that. But that could change next month, that could change next week,” Ramirez continued. “And if we work this summer like I think we are going to and come back next session — and we get nowhere with the Federal Government– I believe we can build an effort in Colorado to where all Coloradans, all parties,everyone will say, ‘Darn it. It is our responsibility.’”

Democratic sponsors of the bill said they were more than willing to work with Ramirez over the summer to ensure the future passage of the bill.

While Miklosi said he had hoped to get Ramirez’s vote with an amendment that would have postponed instate tuition benefits for undocumented students until a federal Dream Act had been signed into law, he was hopeful talks with the Republican representative would soon foster ways to help students. He said he had spoken with Ramirez about working on a bill this summer and said he didn’t care where that had to be.

Rep. Tom Massey listens to debate. (Boven)

“I will meet with him in Alaska or anywhere else–along with the other sponsors–to try and figure out something that he could be comfortable with. Something that abides the law, creates hope and helps to admit [students],” Miklosi said.

Johnston agreed with Miklosi. He said while he had not talked to Ramirez, he was wholeheartedly behind a bipartisan discussion on creating a bill that would ensure that children, who were brought to this country through no fault of their own, were able to get instate tuition.

“I am always open to change anything that we need to change to make sure kids can go to college.” Johnston said. “I don’t have to be the sponsor, I don’t care what it is called, I don’t care what it does. I just care that kids can go to college.”

SB 126 , or ASSET, would have allowed undocumented students who had attended three years and graduated a Colorado high school, signed an affidavit that they would begin the process of attaining citizenship, and were accepted to a Colorado college to attend that college by paying instate tuition with a catch. They would have to do so without the benefit of the Colorado Opportunity Fund, which subsidizes Colorado residents attending college.  A resident of Colorado receives $62 per credit hour through the fund.

The bill was presented with a focus on its economic benefits to the state and supported by seven chambers of commerce, who saw the bill as providing a more skilled workforce for Colorado businesses.

ASSET was also supported by many of the state’s institutions of higher education, cities, newspapers and Hispanic and Latino advocacy groups. Both former Denver Mayor Frederico Pena and the city’s current Cuban-born Mayor Bill Vidal, among others, testified in favor of the bill.

Students wearing T-shirts proclaiming future goals at ASSET hearing. (Boven)

However, the bill met with hard opposition from Republican committee members who pointed to the fact that an immigrant would be unable to get a job legally in the country after graduating college, a situation that might create false hope, while others commented that defeating the bill would not stop the students from going to school, but simply made it much more expensive.

Those testifying against the bill maintained that an illegal alien is an illegal alien no matter how they got here or their age. It was a chord that resonated with many of the Republican committee members who said their first priority was to govern United States’ citizens under the law.

Rep. Carole Murray, R-Castle Rock,  said the issue is not one that is partisan but instead based on ideology and how one interprets the law. She said while she took no pleasure in voting against the bill it was the law that forced her hand.  She explained that the eyes of justice are blindfolded so that the law is handed out equally no matter a person’s situation and contended that there are consequences for allowing individuals to be treated differently under the law.

“Lady Justice ultimately looks at the law, and not at … the circumstance of [what] their individual realities are,” Murray said. “Look at what is happening in Mexico right now. They are spiraling into lawlessness and the minute we agree that those cases should shape the lay of the law we begin that spiraling. So I will be a no vote on the bill.”

While Democrats urged the bill’s passage and called for Republicans to remember they were on the education committee, the final vote — with a long pause from Ramirez — was to ultimately kill the bill.

Convening in the West Foyer of the Capitol after the vote, students and supporters of the bill consoled one another with what amounted to a close to 40-person group hug. Democrats and others told the students not to give up hope or drop out of school and said this was only a beginning.

Sen. Mike Johnston calls for, and joins in, a group hug with those who would have benefited from ASSET. (Boven)

Had the bill gotten out of committee, it still would have faced a tumultuous time in the full House. Miklosi said they had three or four votes they thought were in play in the House, but those included Ramirez and Rep. Ken Summers, R-Lakewood. Neither of those legislators voted in favor of the bill in committee.

However, like so many bills that come to the House, both Democrats and Republicans said the bill would appear again and perhaps next time under better circumstances.

“If we don’t do something soon, the problem is going to escalate,” Ramirez told a group of reporters after the vote.  “When you have an increasing number of people who feel they have no hope… you create a huge problem for yourselves.”

Michael Hancock (Kersgaard)

“These are tough economic times that will require difficult decisions and hard choices,” Mayor Webb said in a prepared statement. “Moving Denver forward together will require a strong leader with a clear vision. Michael is a natural leader who will unite Denver and make our great city even greater. He will bring people together, inspiring us to envision a better future and giving every Denver resident a reason to fight for our city.”

Wellington Webb served three terms as mayor, from 1991 to 2003.

Last week, another former mayor endorsed a different candidate.

“James Mejia is ready to lead Denver into this decade with an enhanced vision for our City. His experiences operating City agencies, making tough budget decisions, helping to create jobs, and improving education make him a leader for our times. James brings people together to solve complex challenges and he will serve all Denverites with that same passion,” said former mayor Federico Pena.

Pena served as Mayor of Denver from 1983 to 1991 and later served as Secretary of Transportation from 1993 to 1997 and Secretary of Energy from 1997 to 1998 under President Clinton.

“It is a privilege and an honor to have the support of a friend, a mentor and one of the most talented minds in our community,” Mejia said in a prepared statement. “Decades ago FP dared us to imagine a great city. It will be an honor to work with him to fulfill some of that vision.”

The tradition of having a cabinet member or other high-ranking government official miss the speech goes back nearly 50 years. It is done as a protection against the unthinkable so that someone will be instantly in charge of the government if required.

Wrote The Washington Post Tuesday:

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will serve as the Obama administration’s “designated survivor” this evening, the White House has announced.

With most of the federal government’s senior leadership slated to sit in one room together during the State of the Union address, presidents routinely select at least one Cabinet secretary to skip the big speech to ensure a smooth transfer of power in the event of a catastrophic event.

The tradition dates back at least to the 1960s and the White House first publicly released the names of designated absentees during the Nixon administration, according to the Senate Historical Office.

Salazar is not the first Coloradan to have the honor. Interior Secretary Gale Norton did the deed in 2002, and Transportation Secretary Federico Pena did it in 1995.

Both Sen. Michael Bennet and gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper brought their buses, the wives, their kids and their friends.

Among the luminaries showing up to rally voters and volunteers were Sen. Mark Udall, lieutenant governor candidate Joe Garcia, Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy, former Denver mayor and Clinton cabinet member Federico Pena, and Secretary of State Bernie Buescher.

On Sunday, in Lakewood, Bernie Buescher, John Hickenlooper, Helen Thorpe and Federico Pena rally Democratic voters. Photo by Scot Kersgaard.

“You are here for people who have lost their jobs in this savage economy.

“You are here for young people in our state who are trying to get a college education during these difficult economic times while the cost of college just keeps going up and up.

“You are here for every one of the 850,000 children going to school across our state who believe that we will keep the promise to them that the zip code they are born is is not going to define the quality of the education they get,” Bennet said.

Talking about his opponent, Republican Ken Buck, Bennet said, “He’s reflecting a bunch of talking points that have been written by right wing think tanks in Washington, D.C.

“Maybe the most important distinction came out the other night in a debate when they asked us, what is the one thing you said during the campaign that you would take back? Do you know what my answer was? ‘Nothing’. because I said what I meant from one part of the state to the other, from rural areas to urban, during the primary and after.

“He (Buck) was able to pull out something from just the past 24 hours when he said he thought climate change was a hoax and maybe he was rethinking that, but the list is long and I can tell you that the last thing that Colorado needs, the last thing the country needs is another politician saying one thing during their primary and another thing during their general election, one thing in rural parts of the state and another thing in urban parts.”

He said he expects a close election, possibly decided by hundreds of votes, and urged people to continue working on get out the vote efforts.

The crowd of more than 100 people gathered in a parking lot was a mix of the curious, out and out fans, and active volunteers.

One volunteer, Dan Hanley, of Lakewood, said he has spent dozens of hours walking his precinct, knocking on doors, encouraging people to vote. Like a lot of other precinct-walking door-knocking volunteers, he expressed pride in getting the highest possible turnout in his precinct.

He said he thinks it makes a lot of difference. “People think they have plenty of time to vote, then it is too late for early voting and maybe they just need a friendly reminder to get to the polls on Tuesday,” he said.

State Rep. Sue Schafer, D-Wheat Ridge, told the crowd she had worked for Bennet when he was superintendent of Denver Public Schools.

“He talked to custodians and bus drivers as much as he talked to board members,” she said. Schafer recounted a time she was walking with Bennet to a meeting at a school. Even though they were running late, he kept stopping to talk to kids and teachers along the way. Someone pointed out to him that he was late for a meeting with some “important people” and he said he was already talking to the important people, she recounted.

“Many names, including mine, have been mentioned as possible candidates to fill the United States Senate seat being vacated by my friend Ken Salazar. I am enormously proud that Ken has been appointed to serve as our nation’s next Interior Secretary, a position I am certain he will carry out with distinction. I have, however, advised Governor Ritter that I do not wish to be considered as a candidate for the critical Colorado United States Senate position. It is my desire to remain in Colorado and to continue to advise and assist President-Elect Obama in any way I can from my home in Denver. I wish to thank the many friends and supporters who have expressed their support for my candidacy.”

Peña’s withdrawal could increase pressure on Gov. Bill Ritter to name Salazar’s older brother, U.S. Rep. John Salazar, to the Senate vacancy, as Salazar’s exit leaves only two Latinos in the U.S. Senate — Republican Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida and Democrat Robert Mendez of New Jersey. Martinez has said he doesn’t intend to seek re-election in 2010, the same year Salazar’s replacement will have to face voters to bid for a full term. On Saturday, the Rocky Mountain News reported Henry Solano, a former U.S. attorney for Colorado, has told Ritter he’s interested in the appointment.

Ritter’s office has said the governor plans to name Salazar’s replacement “quickly” — as early as next week — although a Salazar spokesman said the Democrat doesn’t intend to step down until he’s been confirmed to the Cabinet post.

State politicians actively seeking the Senate appointment include Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, U.S. Reps. Ed Perlmutter and Diana DeGette, outgoing House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, health care executive and two-time Senate candidate Tom Strickland, former Senate Majority Leader Joan Fitz-Gerald, and former Senate candidate Mike Miles, who lost a 2004 primary to Ken Salazar. Other names floated as possible nominees include outgoing House Majority Leader Alice Madden, Senate Majority Leader Peter Groff, Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet and State Treasurer Cary Kennedy. Ritter, who has the option to appoint himself, has said that’s not going to happen.

An early supporter of President-elect Barack Obama, Peña, 61, is a managing director at the Denver offices of New York-based investment firm Vestar Capital Partners. A key advisor on the Obama/Biden transition team, Peña served as Clinton’s secretary of energy and then transportation from 1993 to 1998. Elected to two terms as Denver’s mayor, Peña was among Colorado’s most prominent Hispanic elected officials in the 1980s.

(Photo/cybertoad, Flickr)

With the announcement the state’s senior senator is President-elect Barack Obama’s pick to be the next secretary of interior, it falls on Gov. Bill Ritter to name Sen. Ken Salazar’s replacement. Within hours of news leaking that Salazar would give up his Senate seat, the names of prominent — and not-so-prominent — Democrats emerged. Some are serious contenders, some would be top picks under different circumstances, and a few, like Academy Award hopefuls, are happy just to be nominated.

Ritter will wield some serious power in the next few weeks, elevating two Democrats to statewide office — Salazar’s Senate seat and another post soon to be vacated by Republican Secretary of State Mike Coffman, who won election to Congress last month — while, at the same time, selecting two of his running mates in 2010. Unlike New York Sen. Hillary Clinton’s replacement, who must run in a 2010 special election and again for a full term in 2012, Colorado’s newest senator has to run but once, in two years. That’s a relatively short time to establish incumbency in voters’ minds after an appointment and raise an estimated $15 million to compete in the next election, so the ability to cut an imposing statewide figure and proven fundraising ability will be foremost in Ritter’s mind as he picks.

Colorado hasn’t had a Senate vacancy since 1941, when Sen. Alva Adams died in office and was replaced by Sen. Eugene Milliken, who went on to win a special election and re-election twice, serving 15 years, so there’s no recent precedent for Ritter as he decides how to make the appointment. He’ll no doubt avoid the shenanigans Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich stands accused of entertaining while trying to sell — er, fill — President-elect Barack Obama’s seat, but he also seems to be moving to cut off the sort of public campaign New York Gov. Paterson faces as he fills Sen. Hillary Clinton’s seat.

“In the coming days,” Ritter said in a statement Wednesday, “I will work thoughtfully, deliberately and quickly to identify a successor to Sen. Salazar.” The key word is quickly, which likely means Ritter probably won’t appoint a commission and take applications, at least not to the drawn-out extent he has while finding a replacement for Coffman.

The Senate seat won’t be open until the middle of January, according to Salazar’s office. “Sen. Salazar intends to remain in office until he is confirmed,” a spokesman told the Colorado Independent shortly after his nomination was announced Wednesday. But that won’t stop Ritter from naming a replacement long before Congress swears in on Jan. 6, at the very least to give Salazar’s replacement time to assemble a staff and the ability to hit the ground running as soon as Salazar steps down.

There’s been no shortage of prognostication, ranking and dissection of the possible candidates to replace Salazar. The Denver Post examines the choices here and here before deciding “three names top list to fill Salazar’s Senate seat,” listing Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, term-limited state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff and U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, in that order.

The Rocky Mountain News assigns odds to the candidates, picking Hickenlooper as the 3:1 favorite, followed closely by Perlmutter at 4:1, then Sen. Salazar’s brother, U.S. Rep. John Salazar, and Romanoff before the odds against selection start soaring into the stratosphere.

ColoradoPols (slightly miffed at the Rocky’s appropriation of the Web site’s practice of laying probabilities for candidates) reverses the odds, predicting Perlmutter is the favorite, followed by Hickenlooper and Romanoff, with John Salazar rounding out its list of serious candidates. The selection is narrowed, Pols writes, because “everything revolves around one major point: Who is the best running mate for Ritter in 2010? He needs a strong top of the ticket to help him get re-elected, and that will play large in any decision.”

At least one Colorado newspaper already endorsed a candidate: The Fort Collins Coloradoan considers Romanoff to be Ritter’s best choice. “His energy and dedication to resolving some of Colorado’s major issues, including budgetary limitations and constitutional conflicts, is unmatched,” the paper opines.

Liberal group ProgressNow Action posted a Senate vacancy poll Wednesday afternoon and vowed to post results Thursday, as well as to gather comments to “share with the Governor and media throughout the state.”

Farther afield, Salon reviews the top candidates, adding Denver’s U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, the dean of the Colorado congressional delegation and a national leader on health care and energy issues, who “might have to tack right slightly for 2010, but that wasn’t an obstacle for now-Senator Mark Udall, also a former representative from a liberal district.” Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet, who was a top contender for Obama’s secretary of education, has “an impressive resume and serious reformist credentials” but might have difficulty coming up to speed for a statewide election in just a couple years, Salon notes.

The Washington Post’s The Fix pegs Ritter himself as the top contender, followed by Hickenlooper, John Salazar and Romanoff as frontrunners. Ritter could, under the law, appoint himself to the seat but few observers believe it’s likely and even fewer believe it would be any easier to defend a Senate seat than the governor’s office, especially after what might be perceived as a self-serving stunt.

Politico’s Scorecard ranks Romanoff, DeGette, Perlmutter and Hickenlooper as most likely to be appointed, while noting a John Salazar appointment could smack of nepotism. “While he clearly is a possibility,” Josh Kraushaar writes, “many Democrats wonder whether Ritter will want to appoint a family member (albeit a congressman) — given the controversy that has dogged other governors for considering family members, family friends or famous family names for the appointments.”

FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver doesn’t scoff at the notion the Blue Dog John Salazar could be named but wonders whether Democrats can stomach the risk. “Basically,” Silver writes, “he would represent a sacrifice of ideology for electability.” Silver also evaluates health care executive (and the original “lawyer-lobbyist”) Tom Strickland, who lost bids for Colorado’s other Senate seat twice, in 1996 and 2002, to retiring Republican Sen. Wayne Allard. Strickland “has been tested and twice failed that test,” Silver notes, dubbing him one of the more “unorthodox” choices.

The New York Times Caucus blog points to a concern that will likely help sway Ritter’s choice: After electing Boulder Democrat Mark Udall to fill the state’s other Senate seat, Colorado voters might be inclined toward someone from the more conservative wing of the party, “a Democrat who knows the business-end of a cowboy boot and can talk credibly about cattle, corn, irrigation and the housing angst of the moderate-leaning suburbs.” John Salazar earns top mention from the influential blog, followed by Perlmutter, Hickenlooper and Romanoff, who “earned big chits in the upper tiers of both parties for his handling of inter-party spats in the statehouse.”

The New Republic’s The Plank blog drops another name into the ranks of front-runners. While noting Romanoff would be “popular among progressives,” TNR suggests “Hickenlooper, Salazar, and Peña are probably the only ones with enough statewide recognition and street cred to knock off a Republican challenger two years from now.” That’d be former Denver Mayor and two-time Clinton cabinet officer Federico Peña, who has been spending his time as an investment banker since serving as secretary of transportation and then energy. While the clamor isn’t deafening, there is pressure on Ritter to name a Latino to replace Salazar, who became Colorado’s first Latino to hold statewide office when he won election as the state’s attorney general, and was also the state’s first Latino senator.