Call him charmed or calculating, but U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet was one of the few Democrats to emerge from his party’s drubbing on Tuesday with little more than a political paper cut.
It’s an impressive feat, especially because Bennet has spent the past two years running the Democratic machine that tried — and failed — to land the one-two punch of re-electing Colorado Democrat Mark Udall and keeping his party in control of the Senate.
But in the immediate aftermath of Election Day, most of the friendly fire on the Democratic side was aimed at the Obama administration, with one top Senate aide telling The Washington Post that he didn’t think “the political team at the White House truly was up to speed.”
At the same time, several top Republicans, including Cory Gardner, said they were willing to look past Bennet’s role as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
“Look, that was Michael Bennet’s job,” Gardner said fewer than 24 hours after ousting Udall. “He did what he believed he had to do to fulfill his duties. I look forward to working with him.”
How did Bennet manage to keep relations friendly with Republicans while trying to keep the Senate in Democratic hands?
Politicos said it came down to three factors: Bennet’s desire to keep his reputation as a moderate, his skill at fundraising and the inherent nature of politics on the national stage.
“Both parties are going to have campaign committees, and someone has to run them,” said Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who joined Bennet last year in crafting an immigration bill.
“(But) when it comes down to governing, most senators are able to put away the campaign aspects (and focus on passing legislation),” Rubio said.
Bennet’s desire to preserve his middle-of-the-road persona, in fact, was one reason he initially balked at becoming DSCC chairman. After turning down the job in 2010, he thought about the offer for about a month before accepting the reins for the 2014 campaign.
“I … wanted to make sure it would not interfere with my ability to work in a bipartisan way in the Senate,” Bennet said in 2012.
Yet taking a turn at the helm of the DSCC — or its counterpart, the National Republican Senatorial Committee — often is a prerequisite for politicians looking to rise in the ranks. Another benefit: DSCC and NRSC chairs get to know the big-money donors in their parties. And with Bennet up for re-election in 2016, this kind of network could prove invaluable.
“The contacts you make in that position carry on for many, many years,” said Rick Ridder, a veteran Democratic consultant.
Bennet’s prowess at fundraising for the DSCC also could help insulate him from criticism in the aftermath of Tuesday’s historic loss; never before has a DSCC chairman lost a race in his or her home state.
Headed into the homestretch, the DSCC had outraised its Republican counterpart $134 million to $108 million, according to The Associated Press.
Still, Ridder said Bennet won’t escape all the blame for Democratic losses nationwide. But he expected the pain would be minimal.
“I think he’ll take a few nicks, but when you get a (partisan) wave like that (on Tuesday night), political professionals ultimately say there’s not a lot you can do to prevent (it),” Ridder said.
But he said Bennet still could learn a lesson from Tuesday’s results. For the past couple cycles, Democrats have put their faith in a ground-game operation that relied heavily on cutting-edge technology.
That’s not enough, even for a politician such as Bennet, who helped pioneer the marriage of politics and Big Data, he said.
“If there is a message to Democrats from 2014, it is that all the toys in the world do not make up for good messaging,” Ridder said.
Asked what went wrong Tuesday, Bennet ascribed the defeats to a “tough environment,” adding, “I really think we did all we could do and our candidates did all they could.”
