Colorado’s newest U.S. Senator is...Denver Public Schools superintendent Michael Bennet. If you don’t know much about him, you’re not alone.

More on that in a moment on the Face The State Radio Minute.

As you’ve probably heard by now, Gov. Bill Ritter has tapped Denver Public Schools superintendent Michael Bennet to fill the U.S. Senate vacancy created by Ken Salazar, He’s becoming Obama’s Secretary of the Interior. But who is Michael Bennet?

Most Coloradans probably haven’t heard of the Democrat who leads Denver’s school system; why would they have? Bennet is an interesting pick, largely because he wasn’t on the pundits’ short list of possible appointees. Congressman Ed Perlmutter and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper were both hopeful they’d land the job.

Bennet will be an interesting politician to watch, partly because he’s not always lock-step in line with his party’s liberal wing. He’s championed modest school reforms and stands up to the teachers union. Let’s hope he’s just as independent-minded in the Senate.

For FaceTheState.com, I’m Brad Jones.