Democrat Michael Bennet of Colorado is the most vulnerable of the six members of the Senate Agriculture Committee who are running for re-election in 2016. The political web site Sabato’s Crystal Ball says the race leans toward Bennet, who won a full term in 2010 with 48 percent of the vote in a seven-candidate race. Republican Ken Buck took 46.4 percent of the vote. The narrow margin is among the reasons a competitive race is possible this time. The other five on the ag committee are rated as certain to win.
“So far, Republicans do not have a clear front-runner,” says public broadcaster KUNC in Greeley, Colo. “The most high profile candidate in the race right now is Republican state Sen Tim Neville from Littleton. Neville is a gun right’s advocate and sponsor in 2014 of “Parent’s Bill of Rights” legislation to require schools to disclose additional information about curriculum, school performance and medical decisions. Mentioned as possible candidates are Mark Scheffel, majority leader of the state Senate, and U.S. Rep Scott Tipton, who represents the western half of Colorado.
Political analyst Eric Sondermann told KUNC that one advantage for Bennet is that 2016 is a presidential election year, which usually means a higher turn-out by Democratic voters. Bennet was Denver school superintendent when appointed to the Senate in 2009, succeeding Ken Salazar who became Interior secretary. Sondermann says Republicans believe Colorado is one of their best chances to pick up a seat. Republicans are defending 24 seats and Democrats 10 in the Senate elections.
Republican leaders hoped that Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler would run against Bennet but he decided two weeks ago against the race. Roll Call said Bennet was “amassing an impressive war chest for his re-election.”
The other Senate Agriculture members up for re-election in 2016 are Republicans John Boozman of Arkansas, John Hoeven of North Dakota, Charles Grassley of Iowa and John Thune of South Dakota, and Democrat Patrick Leahy of Vermont. All are regarded as safe for another term. Grassley is Judiciary chairman and Thune chairs the Commerce Committee.
Among the House Agriculture Committee members, only three races are forecast to be competitive at this point, according to the Crystal Ball. They involve Republican Jeff Denham of California and Democrats Gwen Graham of Florida and Rick Nolan of Minnesota. All three won by fairly close margins in 2014. The Cyrstal Ball upgraded Republican Jackie Walorski of Indiana to “safe” because Democrats “do not seem interested in vying for her seat, which is more Republican than any district they currently hold.” Walorski is in charge of the Agriculture Committee’s ongoing review of the food stamp program.