Ann Levy, Jan MacKenzie and Jane Wasson — 85, 80 and 83 years old, respectively — stood diligently on the edge of the throng encircling freshman U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet at a Sunday open house in Denver.
Their message for the lawmaker: “We hope that he’ll work for peace in the Middle East, and I hope he’ll be fair,” Levy said.
Less a stranger in Denver than elsewhere in Colorado, Bennet continued his getting-to-know-you campaign, returning to his home turf after visiting various parts of the state to meet with party stalwarts and regular residents.
He said he plans to continue crisscrossing the state, gathering insight and letting the public learn more about him.
“My strategy is to make everyone so tired of seeing me that they would send me back to Washington” in the 2010 elections, Bennet quipped to the crowd gathered at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
In his comments, Bennet touched on education and health care reform, ending the war in Iraq and intelligent stimulus spending, including a more accountable financial bailout.
The man who began as a blank slate when he was appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter three weeks ago is slowly becoming less blank, said field organizer Nate McNeil of the Service Employees International Union. He said he’s OK with Bennet’s “I don’t know” answers for now.
“He seems willing to listen to both sides. He seems open-minded,” McNeil said. “I’m excited about that.”
State Rep. Nancy Todd, D-Aurora, was among those whose jaw dropped at Bennet’s appointment.
But on Sunday, she expressed confidence in the ability of the former Denver Public Schools superintendent to learn the politicking side of his new office just as quickly as he learned the ropes at DPS without an education background.
“He’s already a good communicator, a good collaborator,” Todd said. She suggested that he spend “some time observing and getting to know people on a personal level before starting to talk policy.”
A bit reserved at his first news conference, Bennet appeared the seasoned pro Sunday, clasping hands with supporters and tousling their children’s hair.
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, who was considered a candidate for the Senate spot, credited Bennet with encouraging him to run for office.
He predicted that Bennet will be remembered as “one of the great U.S. senators” and said he’s placing bets that the new lawmaker will win his 2010 race by 10 percentage points.
Jessica Fender: 303-954-1244 or jfender@denverpost.com
