Utah senators thwart Interior nominee, mystery hold placed on Strickland

Now that Ken Salazar is a member of the Obama Administration, his former Republican Senate colleagues — with whom he frequently caucused — can dispatch with all that upper chamber nicey-nice.

Utah Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett are blocking a key Interior Dept. nominee over a grudge match instigated when Salazar pulled 77 controversial oil and gas leases on public lands in Utah.

Salazar taps Shafroth for fish, wildlife and parks deputy post at Interior

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Tuesday afternoon that fourth-generation Colorado resident Will Shafroth, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress last summer, will be the department’s deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks. A few weeks ago Salazar nominated another…

Who will wear the hat? Sizing up the possible replacements for Salazar

Tuesday morning, at least a dozen Democrats looked in the mirror and saw the next U.S. senator from Colorado. Trouble is, all but one of them were seeing things.

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.