With all the speculation that Barack Obama is about to name Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado his choice for secretary of the interior, an interesting question from Julia Moss of Washington, D.C.:
If Sen. Salazar is picked, would Mark Udall — who was just elected in November — become Colorado's senior senator?
It depends on when Gov. Bill Ritter (D) makes the appointment to replace Salazar. Udall, who won the seat vacated by retiring Republican Wayne Allard, is scheduled to be sworn in on Jan. 6. If Salazar is tapped for the Cabinet, resigns in December and Ritter names a replacement before the 6th, this new senator would be the senior senator. If the resignation/replacement occurs after that, Udall would be Colorado's senior senator.
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