CO-Sen: Hickenlooper Interested in Salazar's Seat

[ccharles000]

Denver Post:

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper on Monday confirmed that he is interested in Colorado's looming U.S. Senate vacancy.
In a brief interview, Hickenlooper touted his experience as a business owner and his time as mayor as pluses for Gov. Bill Ritter to consider when weighing whom he should appoint to replace Sen. Ken Salazar, who has been nominated for secretary of the Interior Department.

Ritter will appoint the person to serve out the remainder of Salazar's term. An election would be held in 2010.

"I love my job," Hickenlooper said. "I'm in that unique position in that I've got one of the best jobs that a person like me can have. But if you take someone like me who has spent most of his life in business and then at some point decides to give 10 to 15 years to public service, and you want to be useful, then you want to get the maximum benefit out of that public service."

The mayor said he had one "formal discussion" with Ritter about the Senate appointment but declined to go into details.

This is a move I could get behind. Not only does the early polling look favorable for Hickenlooper, he got his start in the business world by opening a brew pub. Now there's a guy I'd like to have a beer with!

http://swingstateproject.com

[eleny]

1. There are better choices available

I'd hate to lose my Rep, Ed Perlmutter, but he'd be better. I was hoping Mike Miles would be chosen. But I bet Ritter selects Hickenlooper. I have my doubts that he could win reelection down the road.

[paulk]

5. Perlmutter is my choice, also

Andrew Romanoff would also be a good choice.

Hickenlooper has led a charmed life here in Denver - the local press has given him a free pass. He's made fuckups that, in a city with a more balanced polity, would have cost him his job. The complete mishandling of the Christmas snowstorm and it's aftermath two years ago comes to mind. It cost the city millions in lost tax revenue, and then millions in cleaning up the mess - weeks too late and just before it would have melted anyway.

[eleny]

6. McNichols lost an election because of how a snowstorm was handled

Charmed life is so true where H is concerned. But I guess he's in tight with Ritter. I think he's an inevitability and he's just not up to it. Wait till he has to fight to keep the seat. Meantime, the Republicans will eat him alive in D.C.

[Shiver]

2. HICKENLOOPER!!

...

Sorry. I like saying the name.

.........

HICKENLOOPER!!!

[NV Whino]

3. Only if he changes his name

[kaiden]

4. Pluls, his godfather was Kurt Vonnegut.