December 02, 2008 10:10 PM UTC

Ken Salazar Likely To Remain Senator

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• by: Colorado Pols

As the Pueblo Chieftain reports:

Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar’s name appears to be falling off the list of likely nominees this week, although the first-term Democrat campaigned vigorously for Obama in this battleground state and has said he wants a Westerner to head Interior.

Two weeks ago, Salazar told reporters he had not discussed the Interior appointment with anyone from Obama’s staff and a spokesman Monday said nothing had changed since that press conference…

Salazar has not said he wants to join the Obama cabinet but was put on the list of possible nominees almost by default, given his high-profile battles with the Bush administration over oil shale development in the West, public lands and water. This week, national newspapers are ranking Reps. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., and Mike Thompson, D-Calif., as prominent contenders to head Interior, with Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., and popular Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer as possible nominees…

More concretely, the Denver Post reports:

Sen. Ken Salazar hopes to draw a few hundred people Friday to his $1,000-per-plate party at the Denver Performing Arts Complex…

Salazar and Ritter should have easier elections than before, but that raises challenges of its own, Saunders said.

“The real problem is selling the fact that there’s going to be a competitive race that they’ll need the cash for.” [Pols emphasis]

Bring it on, Salazar haters, we’re leaving the door wide open for you. But yes, based on conversations we’ve also had, it looks like Sen. Salazar wants to remain just that–four years at Interior just doesn’t have the same long-term appeal as retiring from the Senate after a couple of decades.

On a related note, what’s up with this new rumor about Ken’s brother Rep. John Salazar on the list for Agriculture Secretary? The rumor is for real–we’ve got it from unconnected sources now. But is this in any way realistic? We’re working on that–if you don’t hear from us again about it, the answer was obviously “no.”