Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet
Potential candidates are constantly getting "mentioned" for higher office, but who's doing all that work? Why, the Great Mentioner of course. In this new ongoing series, Daily Kos channels the Great Mentioner and catalogs all the notable candidates who might run in 2016's most important races.
To start things off, we visit the Rocky Mountain State, one of the few where a potentially vulnerable Democratic senator is up for re-election next year. Democrats are going to try like hell to win back the Senate from the GOP, but with the party down 54 seats to 46, Team Blue can ill afford to lose any ground.
Incumbent: Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Status: Running for re-election (confirmed)
Assumed Office: 2009 (appointed)
2010 Primary Results: Bennet 54, Andrew Romanoff 46
2010 General Results: Bennet 48, Ken Buck (R) 46
2012 Presidential Results: Obama 51, Romney 46
In a near-miraculous finish, Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet just barely survived the 2010 Republican wave, but national Republicans are hoping they can nevertheless unseat him in 2016. The Colorado GOP is feeling emboldened after Cory Gardner's impressive victory over Sen. Mark Udall in November, and they'd like to repeat that feat. But presidential-year turnout is likely to make the job much harder.
Nevertheless, there's a long line of contenders who could run, and it will probably be a while before things take shape. One candidate, El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn, is already running, but he's very unlikely to have the field to himself.
Rep. Michael Coffman has gotten the most attention and has not ruled out going for a promotion. Coffman has won twice in his very swingy suburban Denver district and has proven to be a great fundraiser, and it's no surprise he's being touted for bigger things. Fellow Rep. Scott Tipton has also expressed interest in running, though he's a bit lower on the national NRSC's wish list, thanks in part to some ethical issues. A third congressman, freshman Ken Buck, also isn't saying no. However, the controversial Buck lost to Bennet in that fateful 2010 race and plenty of Republicans would rather he didn't try again.
GOP operatives have also recently touted several other potential candidates. Attorney General Cynthia Coffman (who is married to Mike Coffman) also hasn't formally ruled anything out, but she was just elected to her post last year and doesn't seem interested in changing gears so quickly. Treasurer Walker Stapleton is another statewide official who could go for it; unlike Coffman, he's now in his second term.
Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler would start out with good name recognition in the Denver area but he seems more likely to run for governor in 2018. (He flirted with a gubernatorial bid last year.) A few lesser options include state Sens. Ellen Roberts and Owen Hill (who briefly ran for Senate last year), state Rep. Amy Stephens, (another 2014 Senate candidate) and businessman Robert Blaha (who unsuccessfully tried to primary Rep. Doug Lamborn in 2014).
Along with Harry Reid in Nevada, Bennet is going to be a top target for Republicans. But he's a strong fundraiser and well-connected to the party establishment (he just served a term as head of the DSCC). What's more, despite the retrenchment in 2014, Colorado is still trending blue-ward, so Bennet won't be easy to beat.
For all of our posts in the Daily Kos Great Mentioner series, click here.