In the end, he pulled it out. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) has won the Democratic Senate primary in Colorado, weathering a late charge from former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff.
With 59% of precincts reporting, Bennet leads Romanoff 54%-46%. The Denver Post has called the race for Bennet. So has the Associated Press. Romanoff has reportedly already called Bennet to concede.
Bennet is running his first-ever political campaign, having been appointed to both the Senate in 2009 and his previous job as superintendent of Denver public schools. Prior to that, he was a Managing Director at the Anschutz Investment Company. Romanoff had tried to paint him as a friend of Wall Street, and had made a pledge not to take money from special interests a cornerstone of his campaign. The pledge contributed to a wide fundraising gap, and Bennet reported $1.8 million cash on hand as of July 21 — more than ten times what Romanoff had. Bennet also boasted the strong endorsement of President Obama, who spoke on Bennet’s behalf during a tele-town hall just last week.
With one hard battle behind him, Bennet faces another test in the fall. The TPM Poll Average for the general election shows him trailing both his potential Republican opponents. Against Ken Buck, Bennet trails 45.6%-43.2%. Against Jane Norton, he trails 44.1%-43.4%.
