July 15, 2010 04:43 PM UTC

CS Indy Endorses Romanoff

• 3 Comments
• by: EdMomElPaso

The Colorado Springs Independent has weighed in on both primaries in the U.S. Senate race (http://www.csindy.com/colorado/romanoff-has-earned-the-opportunity/Content?oid=1778321 )  In the Democratic primary, their verdict:

Bottom line, we see Bennet as an excellent senator for the next six years and beyond. But we see Romanoff as potentially one of the premier senators and statesmen of this generation.

They give credit to both men for their strengths and while the headline suggest the endorsement was simply about having “earned” the opportunity (as a number of Bennet supporters have argued is not sufficient reason), they actually gave a very thoughtful analysis of both candidates and their reasons for endorsing Romanoff:

Some pieces that caught my eye (and I’m hoping I don’t overstep in how much can be quoted):

As a leader in the state Legislature, Romanoff never cowered from a battle, even if he didn’t win every one. He created statewide, bipartisan coalitions, most notably for the Referendum C ballot issue in 2004 and the Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) program in 2008, which financed capital improvements for public schools (mostly rural but some urban, including in Colorado Springs). He showed courage and foresight in trying to make it more difficult to amend the Colorado Constitution.

It’s true that the two candidates’ differences on issues are minor, and there’s a plausible argument that Bennet already is in place and has learned much since January 2009. But we’re not talking about the next year or six years, but possibly the next 18 years or more. Romanoff’s coalition-building skills can make him a distinguished senator who will influence, and shape, the national debate that will impact both Colorado and the nation.

On the topic that has been the banter here about how divisive the primary is or has been and whether Romanoff can raise the money to compete, the CS Indy noted:

We’re convinced either candidate will unite the party for the general election, with no problem raising enough money to compete against the Republican nominee. But the Democrats need someone with passion to motivate people, a fighter to take on the Tea Party movement and other angry voters, someone to fight fire with fire. Not just a deep thinker, but a tirelessly aggressive campaigner.