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New Colo. Sen. Bennet Kicks Off 2010 Campaign

Newcomer to campaigning could struggle in midterm election year

By Gabriel Winant,  Newser User

Posted Jan 5, 2009 12:04 PM CST

(Newser) – Talk about hitting the ground running: Less than 24 hours after he was named to replace Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar, schools superintendent Michael Bennet was already staffing up for the 2010 campaign, reports the Rocky Mountain News. Says a former Barack Obama operative, “I had just unpacked my bags in DC and got a call asking if I could jump on a plane.”

Bennet doesn’t want to waste time. Although Colorado Democrats are coming off a winning streak, this is his first time running for office, and midterm years tend to be rough on members of the president’s party. Says outgoing Sen. Ken Salazar, “He has a lot of work ahead of him in the next 20 months. He knows that.”

US Senate-designate Michael Bennet speaks during a news conference to announce his selection at the State Capitol in Denver on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009.
US Senate-designate Michael Bennet speaks during a news conference to announce his selection at the State Capitol in Denver on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009.   (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Senate-designate Michael Bennet joins his wife, Susan Daggett, and their daughters, 4-year-old Anne, 9-year-old Caroline, and 7-year-old Halina, in accepting a blessing from Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo.
Senate-designate Michael Bennet joins his wife, Susan Daggett, and their daughters, 4-year-old Anne, 9-year-old Caroline, and 7-year-old Halina, in accepting a blessing from Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo.   (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Senate-designate Michael Bennet, left, shakes hands with Sen.-elect Mark Udall, D-Colo., during a news conference to announce Bennet's appointment to the Senate on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009.
Senate-designate Michael Bennet, left, shakes hands with Sen.-elect Mark Udall, D-Colo., during a news conference to announce Bennet's appointment to the Senate on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009.   (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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We'll have a campaign structure that's up and running very soon. - Matt Chandler, incoming staffer for Michael Bennet

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