U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet fended off a fierce challenge from Andrew Romanoff on Tuesday, earning the chance to win his appointed seat in November and extending the power of President Barack Obama’s brand at least a few more weeks.
Bennet led handily in early returns — 54 percent to 46 percent — quickly overcoming a Romanoff lead in the former state House speaker’s home turf of Denver. Romanoff called Bennet to concede and congratulate him before 8 p.m., less than an hour after polls closed in the mostly mail election.
If Bennet wanted to back away from the White House embrace now that he’s facing Republican Ken Buck, it would be hard to now: Obama called Bennet with congratulations early in the victory party.
Bennet’s relatively easy win, with the strong backing of the president’s lingering campaign machinery, sets up a formidable November battle with Republicans riding on American discontent.
Bennet’s victory speech sounded as if he’ll continue running against Washington, D.C., rather than Buck. Panning the pundits and politicians “more interested in scoring points and calling names” than working on the economy, Bennet said, “We’ll show Washington it’s time to get to work.”
Bennet appeared on stage at the Mile High Station bar with Gov. Bill Ritter, the man who appointed him to Ken Salazar’s vacant Senate seat 20 months ago, and his mentor, Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo.
Standing in the crowd later, Ritter said he believes the Tea Party-blessed Buck will have a hard time running back to the moderate politics Coloradans favor for general elections.
Partygoers were quickly forgetting the bitterness of the primary, with Colorado House Speaker Terrance Carroll saying “it was a great baptism by fire” for Bennet. “I saw him grow,” Carroll said.
Romanoff called Bennet soon after polls closed, pledging to offer his help, and Bennet told supporters to encourage Romanoff to continue working for Colorado.
Romanoff’s internal tracking had led him to be highly optimistic in the last week of his insurgent run against the party leadership; he declined interviews after the results were clear, releasing a statement to supporters that said, in part: “To the thousands of Coloradans who supported our cause, I offer my deepest thanks. I will always treasure your friendship and your vote of confidence in me.”
Though Bennet was loath to engage Romanoff too much in the primary and waste resources he’ll need against energized Republicans, Bennet supporters said their big win sets them up well for the coming weeks.
“We start tomorrow with $1.6 million in the bank, which is way more than either of the Republicans will have,” said Bennet spokesman Trevor Kincaid.
“I think the margin is helpful to Bennet, for reunification purposes,” said Mike Stratton, a Colorado political consultant and Bennet supporter watching the senator’s margin climb steadily through the celebration party. “A squeaker would have left more bitterness.”
Democrats announced that their national committee chair, Tim Kaine, will headline a rally Thursday in Denver to unify the Bennet and Romanoff factions.
Both camps believed strong turnout would benefit Bennet and the final vote count of about 327,000 Democrats was right in the range Bennet’s managers were hoping for.
Romanoff supporters at his open-roof downtown party Tuesday said that they felt the campaign was respectful until Bennet mailed handouts accusing Romanoff of wanting to privatize Social Security. Romanoff has been a strong supporter of Social Security, voting against privatization in a Colorado House resolution in 2005.
“Before that, Bennet was a no-show,” ignoring Romanoff and dodging debates, said former Denver City Council president and Democratic National Committee member Ramona Martinez. Bennet “should never have dropped that flier” on Social Security and embittered the contest, said Martinez, a longtime Romanoff supporter.
The Bennet campaign said the flier came in response to Romanoff going negative first.
It’s unclear what Romanoff will do next, but many party leaders in Colorado are angry at what they call his “scorched earth” tactics against Bennet. Bennet claimed little separated the Democratic opponents when it came to issues, implying to voters they might as well go with the party-backed incumbent with a prodigious fundraising machine.
Romanoff countered that fundraising itself was a big issue: Bennet and other senators are beholden to the political action committees that contribute millions, he argued.
Drawing on PAC money, Democratic Party assistance and individuals, Bennet raised more than $8 million for the campaign.
The campaign also became a proxy fight for the power of various presidencies, with Obama endorsing and working for Bennet and former President Bill Clinton endorsing Romanoff.
Michael Booth: 303-954-1686 or mbooth@denverpost.com