DENVER—It took months, but Colorado’s sleepy Democratic Senate primary is showing some kick.
With three weeks to go before primary ballots are counted, Sen. Michael Bennet and challenger Andrew Romanoff are taking their gloves off after spending most of the campaign season agreeing with the other.
Romanoff started airing an ad this week blasting Bennet for accepting campaign contributions from donors in the energy and finance industries.
“I don’t take money from special interests—because they have enough politicians on their payroll,” Romanoff tells the camera, repeating a line he frequently uses in campaign speeches.
Bennet volleyed back, marking the first time the freshman senator has mentioned his primary opponent in campaign ads. Bennet’s commercial, which also started airing Tuesday, points out that “career politician Romanoff” formerly accepted donations from the same kinds of donors he rails against.
The sniping continued Wednesday, when Romanoff called reporters to his campaign office to continue punching at the incumbent. Romanoff again said that Bennet is too cozy with the financial industry—hours after Bennet joined President Barack Obama in Washington to see a Democrats’ financial overhaul signed into law. Romanoff dismissed the overhaul as weaker than what he would have promoted, though he added that he wouldn’t have voted against it.
“The bill that emerged from Congress is the best we can expect from the Congress we’ve got,” said Romanoff, who has repeatedly criticized his fellow Democrats in Congress.
Bennet’s campaign spokesman, Trevor Kincaid, sent an e-mail reminding voters that Romanoff has a longer political background than Bennet and even once set up his own political action committee.
Romanoff didn’t dispute that, but told reporters he’s changed his mind about what he called an “unholy money chase.”
“I got the message,” he said. “I got the wake-up call our party in Washington still needs.”
Fundraising totals reported to federal elections authorities this month appear to show that Romanoff is keeping his word to avoid big money. The challenger posted his best quarter yet—raising more than $600,000—but he still lags far behind Bennet, who raised more than $1 million.
The winner of the Romanoff-Bennet primary Aug. 10 faces one of two Republicans, either prosecutor Ken Buck or former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton.
