CO-SEN

PPP Poll: Dem Bennet In Better Shape For CO-SEN General Election Than Romanoff

Thomas Rhiel | August 10, 2010, 1:46PM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)

If Sen. Michael Bennet comes out on top in today's Democratic Senate primary in Colorado, he'll be ahead against either of his potential Republican challengers, a new PPP (D) survey shows. Democrat Andrew Romanoff, on the other hand, will be in a slightly tougher spot if he wins.

In its general election match-ups, the new PPP survey shows Bennet, the appointed incumbent, ahead of Republican Jane Norton 46%-40% and edging Republican Ken Buck 46%-43%. Andrew Romanoff, the Democratic challenger who sold his house to help fund his campaign, is down a point to Norton and up a point against Buck. The poll's margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points.

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CO-SEN

Voters Casting Ballots In Hard-Fought CO-SEN Dem Primary Today

Eric Lach | August 10, 2010, 1:06PM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-CO)

One way or the other, today will mark the end of a surprisingly close battle in the Colorado Democratic Senate primary. A late-charging challenge from former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff has put Sen. Michael Bennet on the defensive in recent days, and a once-civil campaign has taken a nasty turn.

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CO-SEN

Bill Clinton Records Last-Minute Robocall For Romanoff (AUDIO)

Eric Lach | August 9, 2010, 5:19PM

Former President Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton has recorded a last-minute robocall in support of Democrat Andrew Romanoff's primary challenge to Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet.

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CO-SEN

PPP Poll: Bennet, McInnis And Norton Lead Heading Into CO Primaries

Eric Lach | August 9, 2010, 2:59PM

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)

A new PPP poll of tomorrow's Colorado Senate and gubernatorial primaries shows tight races all around, but maybe a little breathing room for incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet, who's facing a tough, late-charging challenge from former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff.

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CO-SEN

Dem Bennet Loans CO-SEN Campaign $300K

Eric Lach | August 2, 2010, 4:43PM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) is matching Democratic challenger Andrew Romanoff's recent loan to his own campaign almost dollar for dollar. Bennet has loaned $300,000 to his campaign to provide a boost in the last days of his primary battle, according to the Associated Press. Last week, Romanoff sold his house and loaned his campaign $325,000.

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CO-SEN

SurveyUSA Poll: Colorado's Senate General Election A Real Toss-Up

Thomas Rhiel | August 2, 2010, 11:37AM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)

SurveyUSA is out with new polling from the Colorado Senate race, and it looks like it'll be a close one no matter how the Democratic and Republican primaries turn out.

The survey shows Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in tight races with both possible Republican candidates. He leads Jane Norton 46%-43%, and he's neck-and-neck with Ken Buck, 43%-43%. Meanwhile, Andrew Romanoff, who's polling just about even with Bennet in the Democratic primary, is also in two close contests. Norton leads Romanoff 45%-40%, and Romanoff is in a 44%-44% dead heat with Buck.

The TPM Poll Averages give the edge to the two Republicans. The Poll Average puts Norton up over Bennet 45.6%-42.5%, and it shows her up against Romanoff 44.4%-40.8%. The TPM Poll Average shows Ken Buck leading Bennet 46.1%-42.3%, and Buck ahead of Romanoff 47.0%-42.2%.

The margin of error of the latest SurveyUSA poll is ±3.1 percentage points. The primary is August 10.

CO-SEN

Bennet's Internal Poll: I'm Still Ahead By 4 In Dem CO-SEN Primary

Thomas Rhiel | August 2, 2010, 10:15AM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)

In light of a new SurveyUSA poll showing Democratic challenger Andrew Romanoff edging appointed incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet in Colorado's Democratic Senate primary, Bennet's campaign released an internal polling memo showing the incumbent senator ahead 41%-37%.

The survey, conducted by Harstad Strategic Research and documented in a memo released Sunday night, also found that Bennet is ahead five points among the one-fourth of voters who have already sent in their mail-in ballots. Colorado's primary elections are being conducted by mail this year.

The TPM Poll Average of the Democratic Senate primary gives Bennet a 43.0%-41.9% lead. The margin of error of Harstad Strategic Research's survey is 4.0 percentage points.

CO-SEN

SurveyUSA Poll: Romanoff Pulls Ahead of Bennet In CO-SEN Dem Primary

Thomas Rhiel | August 2, 2010, 9:34AM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Democratic primary challenger Andrew Romanoff

In Colorado's Democratic Senate primary, former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff has pulled ahead of incumbent Michael Bennet, a new SurveyUSA poll finds. The survey shows Romanoff with 48% and Bennet with 45%.

The is the first poll of the race that shows Romanoff ahead. The last SurveyUSA poll out of Colorado, from June 17, showed Bennet with a commanding 53%-36% lead. A Zata3 survey from July 27 showed a closer contest, with Bennet up 43.8%-40.0%.

The TPM Poll Average of the race gives Bennet a slim 43.0%-41.9% lead. The margin of error of the latest SurveyUSA poll is 4.3 percentage points. The primary is August 10.

CO-SEN

Poll: Bennet Narrowly Leads Romanoff In CO-SEN Dem Primary

Eric Kleefeld | July 29, 2010, 9:44AM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Democratic primary challenger Andrew Romanoff

A new poll from Zata3 shows a tight race in the Colorado Democratic Senate primary, with appointed incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet having only a narrow lead over former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff.

The numbers: Bennet 44%, Romanoff 40%. The survey of likely voters has a ±3.6% margin of error, and there is no prior Zata3 poll for direct comparison. The TPM Poll Average gives Bennet a lead of 45.7%-35.3%. The primary will be held on August 10.

There is a caveat here. As the Colorado Pols blog points out, Zata3 has not normally been a polling firm: "You hire Zata3 to do persuasion phone calls or text messaging -- not polling -- just like you wouldn't normally hire a polling firm to do your direct mail. This is no knock on Zata3, it's just that it seems odd that you wouldn't use a professional polling firm if you wanted real polling results."

That said, they sure do seem to be branching out, with surveys such as this one and a recent poll of the Arkansas Senate race.

Andrew Romanoff

Denver School Board Member Resigns From Romanoff Campaign Over Payments

Eric Lach | July 27, 2010, 5:01PM

US Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff (D-CO)

Looks like it's not just Republicans in Colorado who are having a rough time dragging their campaigns across the primary finish line.

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CO-SEN

Dem Romanoff Sells His House To Help Pay For Colorado Senate Campaign

Eric Lach | July 27, 2010, 11:08AM

Andrew Romanoff (D)

Colorado Democrat Andrew Romanoff is selling the farm in his quest to beat Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) in the August 10 Senate primary. Seriously, the guy just sold his house and loaned his campaign $325,000.

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CO-SEN

Bennet And Romanoff Slinging Attack Ads In Colorado (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | July 22, 2010, 12:40PM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Democratic primary challenger Andrew Romanoff

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and his primary challenger, former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, have been trading some attack ads in the run-up to the August 10 primary.

Romanoff's new ad accuses Bennet of being a pawn of special interests. "I don't take money from special interests -- because they have enough politicians on their payroll," says Romanoff.

Bennet, who was appointed to his seat in January 2009, fires right back with his own ad. "Career politician Romanoff's been taking PAC money for almost 10 years," the announcer says. "From big banks, insurance companies, oil companies -- he's even run his own PAC while campaigning for Senate."

The TPM Poll Average shows Bennet leading by 46.3%-33.7%, though the most recent public data on this race is a month old.

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Michael Bennet

Romanoff Ad Ties 'Opponent' Bennet To Wall Street Bailouts

Brian Beutler | July 7, 2010, 3:51PM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-CO)

He doesn't name names, but Andrew Romanoff, who's challenging incumbent Michael Bennet in the Colorado Democratic Senate primary, is attempting to tie his opponent to bailouts and saddle him with anti-Washington voter sentiment.

In a new 30-second spot running statewide, Romanoff implicitly hangs bailouts, and indeed "corruption," around Bennet's neck.

"Washington takes special interest money, Wall Street gambles with our economy. And then Washington bails Wall Street out," Romanoff declares. "The special interests in Washington have more power than the people. And that's just not wrong, it's corrupt. The difference is, I don't take a dime of their money. I stand with you," he says.

Bennet was not in Congress when the 2008 bailout bill passed, but Romanoff is talking about Bennet's vote against amendments to the Wall Street reform bill that would have broken up "too big to fail" financial firms. You can see this on YouTube, where the Romanoff team goes further:

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CO-SEN

Bill Clinton Breaks With Obama In Colorado Senate Race

Christina Bellantoni | June 29, 2010, 3:19PM

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and former President Bill Clinton

Former President Bill Clinton today took sides in Colorado's Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, endorsing Andrew Romanoff's challenge to Sen. Michael Bennet. It's one of the hottest primary races left this year, and is especially notable given President Obama's prominent backing of Bennet, who was appointed to the seat in 2009.

Romanoff claimed the Obama administration offered him a job to stay out of the Aug. 10 primary, and the Republicans think they have a prime pickup opportunity thanks to the Democratic intraparty warfare.

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CO-SEN

Gibbs Tries To Downplay Obama Admin's Romanoff Job Talks

Ben Frumin | June 3, 2010, 9:31AM

Andrew Romanoff (D)

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is trying to knock down chatter that the Obama Administration offered ex-Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff a job so that he'd pass on challenging incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) in Colorado's August 10 Democratic Senate primary.

Romanoff had already applied for a job through normal channels during the presidential transition, Gibbs said, when White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina called and emailed him last September to see if Romanoff was still interested in the job, or whether he was running for Senate.

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CO-SEN

Romanoff Beats Bennet At Colorado Dem Convention -- But The Primary Has Just Begun

Eric Kleefeld | May 24, 2010, 10:54AM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-CO)

It was a busy political weekend in Colorado, with both the state Democratic and Republican parties holding their conventions -- and snubbing incumbents and frontrunner candidates on both sides, most notably Dem Sen. Michael Bennet. However, this is not the last word in the campaign on either side.

Bennet's primary challenger, former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, handily won the convention by a margin of 60%-40% -- though Bennet was still over the 30% threshold needed to guarantee a place on the primary ballot, without having to petition his way onto it. For Romanoff, the upshot of his win here is that he will be listed in the first position on the primary ballot, with the incumbent Bennet in the second place on the ballot. This outcome had been expected since the party caucuses in March, in which Romanoff's supporters won more delegate seats.

This largely comes from two factors. First, Romanoff took advantage of a general anti-incumbent frustration with Washington. But second and perhaps more importantly, Bennet is an appointed Senator who never ran for anything before -- and therefore lacked the political base of Romanoff, who was far more organized for this early stage of the campaign. However, Bennet still has an edge in the primary for now, with the TPM Poll Average putting him ahead of Romanoff by 43.0%-32.5%.

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CO-SEN

Poll: Dem Sen. Bennet Leads GOP Rivals In Colorado Senate Race

Eric Kleefeld | May 19, 2010, 1:24PM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)

The new survey of Colorado by Public Policy Polling (D) suggests that Dems are picking up steam in this state's key Senate race, with both incumbent Dem Sen. Michael Bennet taking a lead over Republican establishment favorite Jane Norton, and both Bennet and his primary challenger Andrew Romanoff leading all of the Republican contenders.

Bennet leads former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton by 44%-41%, and leads Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck and state Sen. Tom Wiens by six and eight points respectively. Romanoff edges Norton by 43%-41%, is ahead of Buck by three points, and leads Wiens by four points. The poll of registered voters has a ±3% margin of error. The full results are available here.

The TPM Poll Average has Norton edging Bennet by 44.1%-43.0%, with recent momentum in Bennet's favor, and Norton narrowly leading Romanoff by 44.2%-41.2%.

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CO-SEN

Poll: Dem Sen. Bennet Picks Up Steam In Colorado Primary

Eric Kleefeld | May 18, 2010, 1:41PM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-CO)

The new survey of Colorado from Public Policy Polling (D) shows Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet increasing his support against his primary challenger, former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. Meanwhile, the race for the GOP nomination is turning into a dogfight.

The numbers for the Dems: Bennet 46%, Romanoff 31%. The survey of likely Dem primary voters has a ±4.7% margin of error. Back in March, Bennet had a much smaller lead of 40%-34%. The primary will be held on August 10.

Bennet was first appointed to the Senate in January 2009, to take the seat formerly held by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. He was previously the superintendent of the Denver public schools, but had never held a prior elected public office. Romanoff got into the race later in the year.

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CO-SEN

Dem Sen. Bennet's Primary Challenger Wins First Round In Colorado Caucuses

Eric Kleefeld | March 17, 2010, 9:58AM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-CO)

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) encountered a setback in his election campaign last night, with his Democratic primary challenger Andrew Romanoff winning the states party's caucuses.

Romanoff, a former state House Speaker who has been running an anti-Washington campaign, took 51% of the vote over Bennet, who was appointed to office in January 2009, with 42%. This makes it likely that Romanoff will beat Bennet at the state party convention, and thus have the top ballot position in the primary.

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CO-SEN

Poll: Dem Sen. Michael Bennet In Toss-Up Race

Eric Kleefeld | March 12, 2010, 10:22AM

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)

The new survey of Colorado from Public Policy Polling (D) shows Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in a close race. This is itself an improvement from most other polls, which have shown him running behind his Republican opponents.

When tested against three Republican candidates, Bennet is tied 43%-43% against former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton, leads Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck by 46%-40%, and leads state Sen. Tom Wiens by 45%-37%. The TPM Poll Average has Norton ahead of Bennet by 46%.1-41.0%.

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