How Are Things Changed?

By Dave

Marc Ambinder, at The Atlantic, sums up today's retirements:

Colorado is a tough state for Democrats. Senate incumbent Michael Bennet has an even chance, at best, of retaining his seat, and Ritter has suffered from an erosion of his base support at a time when he's been forced to  make unpopular budget decisions. Democrats may fare better if ex-House Speaker Andrew Romanoff decides to run for governor and not challenge Bennet in the Senate primary.

On balance, Republicans today gained a foothold in North Dakota, and Democrats increased their likelihood of keeping their Senate seat in Connecticut. Privately, senior White House officials have communicated to Dodd their belief that his position was untenable. A sinecure or administration position is likely.

Bottom line: from a micro perspective, the GOP gains nothing from today. From a macro perspective, anytime three major Democratic party figures retire...ain't good for that party.

No, it is not....

Bad News Day for Democrats

By Dave

Today saw a number of high-profile retirements within the Democratic Party including Sen. Dodd (D-CT), Sen. Dorgan (D-ND). And just recently Colorado's Governor Ritter announced he will not seek re-election. According to The Denver Post, he is stepping down to spend more time with his family. 

This news comes as a shock. Clearly the polling indicated that the race would have been a bruising battle, and it's not a good time to be an incumbent anywhere in this country. But I think Ritter would have had a decent shot at reelection. He's done a great job on the green energy front, has governed consistently as a moderate, and has done a pretty admirable job facing the State's budgetary mess.

This all opens the door for a lot of speculation about who will run in Ritter's place. I've heard Hickenlooper's name thrown about. He's very popular in Denver but I'm not sure how well he can carry the rest of the State. Ken Salazar is also a possibility but Salazar's got a pretty cushy job as head of the Interior. Would want to leave it for a chance at being Governor? If he did, he's well liked in CO and would probably have a decent shot. Andrew Romanoff's name is also being mentioned. I actually think he's a good choice but he's pretty invested in his Senate run.

Any other names come to mind?

Colorado "One of the Most Compelling Gubernatorial Races"

By Dave

According to The Hill, Colorado has a 'toss-up' gubernatorial race:

Colorado’s transition from a nine-point Bush state in 2000 to a nine-point Obama state in 2008 has been well-documented. But the honeymoon is over, and Gov. Bill Ritter’s (D) 57-40 triumph over Rep. Bob Beauprez (R-Colo.) in 2006 is now ancient history. Like so many governors, Ritter has seen his numbers ebb this year. Former Rep. Scott McInnis (R-Colo.), meanwhile, got a huge break when primary opponent Josh Penry dropped out of the race. This state will be a key test of whether Republicans can win back enough Latino voters to start winning again.

We'll see. My sense is that Ritter has done a pretty convincing job of governing as a moderate. He's done a lot for moving the state toward a green energy economy and has governed pretty credibly during a time of real financial hardship. Colorado has a pretty good economy when compared to others across the country, and has pretty low unemployment, all things which may bode well for Ritter in the future. His popularity is fairly low, but this may be because it is just a hard time for any incumbent to run. Also, after years of nasty immigration rhetoric, it's hard for me to imagine that the Republican party can do much to win back the Latino vote in any credible sort of way by 2010.