Bennet loss puts him in Ag Committee line

When Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., lost his campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor of Colorado, that loss put him in line to become the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Bennet, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, had been expected to win the primary, which would have meant that Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., would have been next in line to become Agriculture ranking member or chair.

(Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., the current ranking member, is running for Minnesota governor and is favored to win. The next two Democratic senators in line — Tina Smith of Minnesota and Dick Durbin of Illinois — are retiring.)

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.

Booker is a vegan and a critic of agribusiness, which makes many lobbyists nervous.

But there is another wild card.

Former Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is running this year and, if elected, could use his seniority to overtake Bennet. Some agricultural lobbyists wary of Booker have been promoting Brown for the job.

Bennet’s term runs through 2028 and his political future is a matter of discussion in Colorado.

-The Hagstrom Report