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.

Word in some circles is that the mayor of Denver, a year into his second term, is on Obama’s short list for an appointment. Not a huge surprise, given the Denver mayor pulled off what will be remembered by almost everyone but peace activists and free speech advocates as a wildly successful Democratic National Convention, capped by Obama’s historic nomination acceptance speech before a crowd of 80,000.

Since Election Day, it’s been a guessing game of which prominent Coloradan could be up for a Cabinet post: On Nov. 6, Sen. Ken Salazar brushed off speculation that he’d be up for a post during a conference call with reporters.

“It’s highly doubtful that I would serve in the Cabinet,” the first-term Democrat said. “Representing the state of Colorado is a blessing and a privilege, and I believe my work has just begun.”

At the same time, Salazar indicated he’d “already communicated” his desire to President-elect Obama that the new administration consider a Westerner to serve in the post.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, just two years into the job, has also made the cocktail conversation circuit, leading his spokesman Evan Dreyer to this week vow that his boss is “very focused on governing the state of Colorado.”

Peña, who served in President Bill Clinton’s Cabinet (as Transportation then Energy secretary), has certainly been mentioned for a possible Cabinet post. But, as some have noted, Pena perhaps may be feeling just dandy being a key adviser to POTUS.

Which brings us back to Hickenlooper …

The campaign for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is starting to target the three Southwestern swing states of Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico in an Spanish-language advertising drive of “historical” proportions.

UPDATE: Here is one of the Spanish-language TV spots. That Washington Post has a roundup of what the ad says for non-Spanish speakers.

That’s according to Federico Peña, former Denver mayor and national co-chair of the Obama campaign, who announced today that the campaign will start airing a number of Spanish television and radio spots in the three states on issues like the economy and immigration as part of an unprecedented $20 million Latino outreach initiative announced by the Obama camp in July.

Although campaign officials haven’t released the ads on YouTube or the Web yet, the spots are designed to counter recent Spanish TV broadcasts by Republican candidate John McCain released in battleground states like Colorado that accuse Obama of balking on immigration reform.

One pro-Obama spot will focus on depicting McCain as folding under the influence of radical anti-immigrant figures like Rush Limbaugh on immigration reform legislation, according to campaign staff who talked about the media buys on a conference call today.

“None of us are taking any vote for granted,” Peña said about the Obama campaign’s Latino outreach strategy in swing states, which involves heavy dependence on advertisements along with voter registration and mobilization.

As for Colorado, “there has never been this kind of effort on the part of Democrats or Republicans” to reach out to Latinos, Peña said of the new spots, although he added the campaign was not willing to release the exact money it was spending on the ads.

The Obama campaign is continuing to run on the front range in Denver and El Paso County as well as on the more rural Western Slope area in the state.