Face the State

Former Congressman Scott McInnis is back in the public eye.

McInnis served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives for Colorado's 3rd Congressional district. But after leaving office in 2005, he moved into the private sector and took a job with top Denver lawfirm Hogan and Hartson. But McInnis recently made waves on the political scene when he claimed he could have beaten Democrat Mark Udall in Colorado's 2008 U.S. Senate race, where Udall prevailed over GOP contender Bob Schaffer. Shortly after McInnis's public proclamations, insiders began to speculate about a potential political comeback and his name is now being heard as a potential candidate for governor in 2010.

Face The State caught up with McInnis Wednesday to chat about his future prospects and Colorado’s political playing field in the next election cycle.

As we recently reported, the buzz around Colorado’s 2010 U.S. Senate contest has been little to nil. McInnis has seen his name floated for the post, and while he hasn’t ruled out a second round in Washington, the race for Colorado's next U.S. Senator didn’t get him keyed up.

“Ken Salazar is a very easy guy to like,” he said, adding that running Salazar is far more challenging than running against Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter who has seen his popularity steadily decline."

McInnis was vague about his own intentions, but said he hasn't shut the door on running for political office altogether. He did, however, suggested that former Gov. Bill Owens is actually the person best suited to challenge Sen. Ken Salazar. “Owens, as the whole of all of us, would probably be the 600 pound gorilla we need to beat [Ken Salazar],” he said, referring to the dozens of Republicans who may consider running for various offices at the state and federal level.

Speaking of the Salazar family, Ken’s older brother, Rep. John Salazar, a Democrat representing Colorado's western slope, is on the short list to become President-elect Barack Obama’s secretary of agriculture. John Salazar was elected to represent Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District in 2004 after the seat had been in Republican hands for over a decade. McInnis said if John Salazar were to leave the post to become secretary of agriculture, it would give Republicans a much needed chance to take back that seat. McInnis suggested that his former staffer, sate Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, would make a great congressman, and if Penry thought the district could be competitive, it just might entice him enough to run.