CO: Attorney Gen. Suthers Won't Seek Seat

Colorado Attorney General John Suthers (R) pulled himself out of the race to challenge newly-appointed Sen. Michael Bennet (D) in 2010 by announcing that he will seek reelection to his current position.

Suthers is the sole Republican statewide office holder and was widely thought to be the GOP's top recruit to challenge Bennet, who is (or was) thought to be relatively vulnerable.

Now that Suthers is out of the conversation, the list of potential Republicans to enter the race looks thin. The list includes:

--Former Gov. Bill Owens (who has shied away from running for public office again since his term as governor ended)

--Former US Attorney Troy Eid (who was going to run for Attorney General but is now backing out because of Suthers' decision to run for reelection; he might reconsider a Senate bid)

--Former Rep. Scott McInnis (who is reportedly more interested in a 2010 gubernatorial run rather than a Senate bid)

--Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (who is unpopular, divisive, and alienates Latinos with his borderline reactionary views on immigration and would be the Democrats' dream opponent)

--Former football star John Elway (has never held public office and might be seen as a joke of a candidate)

Yeah, it's slim pickings for NRSC chairman John Cornyn in this race. I think that it's highly unlikely that Owens and McInnis will run, and Tancredo might run but would have a ton of trouble being elected statewide. And John Elway is John Elway.

So if I had to guess, I'd say that Troy Eid will be the Republican nominee. While Eid is qualified and might pose somewhat of a challenge to Bennet, he is certainly not the NRSC's dream candidate and would still likely fall short of victory.

With Suthers gone and the Republican bench looking even weaker, it appears as though Michael Bennet just dodged a political bullet.