Andrew Romanoff: "It's Possible to Be Pro-Obama and Pro-Romanoff"
The Democratic Party's attempt at controlling the Senate primary in Colorado from Washington won't work, Democratic candidate Andrew Romanoff said today on CBSNews.com's "Washington Unplugged." Romanoff maintained, however, that while his primary opponent, sitting Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, has the support of the national party and the White House, he is not running against President Obama.
"It is possible to be pro-Obama and pro-Romanoff at the same time," Romanoff told CBS News correspondent Bob Orr. "I am, and thousands of Coloradans like me who support the president, point out that this decision gets made in Colorado."
Romanoff said the Democratic National Committee is running a phone bank out of its Washington headquarters to "undermine our grassroots effort."
"That doesn't sit well with a lot of people in this state and is ultimately likely to be an inffective approach to have folks in Washington tell us what to do," he said.
Romanoff said his campaign has wide appeal to both Democrats and Republicans because he is campaigning on the promise of "changing the way Washington works." He mentioned that he is not taking any funding from political action committees and pointed out that Bennet has taken $1.3 million from "special interests."
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"I'm the only candidate in this race who doesn't take any money from special interest groups," Romanoff said. "That's why I believe I've got the best chance to reform the pay to play political culture that's corrupted Congress."
A recent poll showed Romanoff closing in on Bennet, after Romanoff won the backing of former President Clinton and even sold his house to help finance his campaign.
Watch the interview above. Republican Senate candidate Ken Buck also appeared on today's Washington Unplugged. Buck faces off against former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton in the Republican primary.
CBS News' chief political correspondent Marc Ambinder told Orr that Colorado's Senate seat is up for grabs.
"Regardless of who wins tomorrow [in either primary], it is going to be a very competitive race," he said.
Today's show also featured a conversation with CBS News' Pentagon correspondent David Martin on the latest in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"Washington Unplugged," CBSNews.com's exclusive daily politics webshow, appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 2 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.
