So I finally broke down and got an account to start writing here, after reading for a bit. I don’t really know why it was NOW, exactly, but here I am.
As a Coloradan, I have been surprised at the lack of serious discussion from the Obama Administration about appointing a Centennial stater to his Cabinet. After initial speculation about Ken Salazar for Interior Secretary diminished, I thought that we would be shut out of the Cabinet this administration (not that this is inherently bad, but hey, a little state pride is alright).
Recently though, chatter here in the West has surrounded John Salazar, Ken’s brother and a Representative for Colorado’s 3rd district, as a possible appointment for Secretary of Agriculture. This could accomplish several things: a second (or third, if you could Grijalva at Interior) appointment for a prominent Hispanic politician, a Westerner and Coloradan at Agriculture, and put an actual farmer as the head of the Agriculture Dept. for the first time in decades.
This diary isn’t about the merits of Salazar’s possible appointment, though, but about who might replace him in the House if it were to happen.
CD-3 is a somewhat conservative-leaning district in Colorado: it covers 29 counties, most of them rural, and takes in the Democratic strongholds of Pueblo and Durango as well as the Republican super-stronghold of Mesa County, where Grand Junction is. Before John won the district in 2004, it was held by Republican Scott McInnis for 12 years.
Many in Colorado think that only John could hold this seat, and while there are definitely more prominent Republicans than Democrats in this district, a few people would make this a top-tier Congressional race. Here’s a quick rundown of the main contenders from each party…
The Democrats:
Former State Rep. Bernie Beuscher: Bernie was a Democrat elected from the 3rd most Republican House district in the state, HD 54, and was in line to be Speaker of the House in Colorado had he won reelection this year. He didn’t, losing in a shocker to businesswoman and Rep-elect Laura Bradford by 400 votes. He’s currently being considered for our vacant Secretary of State position, but would be the strongest candidate to win this district, hailing from (and winning twice in) its Republican stronghold of Mesa County.
State Rep. Gail Schwartz: Gail hails from the Durango/Gunnison area, and is a leader in the House on rural issues. She’s now the only Democrat in the House representing Colorado’s Western Slope outside of some of the ski towns. She’s also a rancher, which plays well in rural Colorado.
State Sen. Abel Tapia: One of the most incompetent state officials, Tapia is a member of the Joint Budget Committee and hails from Pueblo, the districts major population center of 140,000 (though it’s 200 miles from Grand Junction…this district is about the size of South Carolina). He’s also Hispanic, an important voting bloc in this district.
And the Republicans, who range from the terrible to actually quite good:
Sen. Josh Penry: A rising Republican star, he’s 32 and just elected as Minority Leader of the State Senate. He was a football star at Mesa State in Grand Junction, and hails from Mesa County. He’d have significant support from the conservative establishment, though he just supported a transportation funding initiative that lost by 20 points in the 08 elections.
Rep. Ellen Roberts: The quintessential moderate Colorado Republican, Roberts just lost a race for a House leadership position and could be looking for greener pastures. She is, however, the most liberal Republican in the State House (pro-choice, pro-civil union, and favored several revenue increases not favored by the state party). She’s compelling on the stump, and eminently likable. She’ll win this race if she can get through a primary.
Mayor Gregg Palmer: The Mayor of Grand Junction is very popular, and his pro-business bona fides would serve him well in a primary. He’s close with Penry, however, and would be unlikely to challenge him in a primary. That being said, he’s almost twice Penry’s age, and could be looking to cap off his career somewhere bigger than Grand Junction.
Those are some of the main culprits for this race that hasn’t even materialized yet. I’d give John a 50% chance of getting the Ag. appointment, and if that happens I would bet heavily on a Beuscher v. Penry race, with both national parties getting VERY engaged.