Last month, Colorado U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall sent out a total of nine joint press releases, a sign of teamwork or dependency, depending on your perspective. Former U.S. Sens. Wayne Allard, a Republican, and Ken Salazar, a Democrat, sent out the occasional joint press release, but they were nowhere on par with Bennet and Udall’s shared communications.
Surely the echo chamber gets louder when both the state's U.S. Senators hail from the same party. But we're left asking, who’s leading who in this relationship?
While Udall is still a newly minted Senator, he does have more experience at the political game than Bennet. Working together on messaging saves Bennet from going it alone, but it also holds him back from establishing a strong voice of his own.
Bennet has so far taken a cautious - and quiet - tack on controversial issues. Republicans and union leaders have criticized him from both ends of the political divide for not taking a firm position on federal card check legislation. And activists rallied at the state capitol last month after he refused to take a position on gay marriage.
Being on message is important, and the two clearly have that down. But one of the basic rules of marketing is product differentiation. With Bennet up for election in 2010, he should be trying to make himself standout, not blend in. Some free political advice from Face The State.