February 19, 2008 06:41 PM UTC

Salazar Heart Benson

•  
• by: Colorado Pols

As the Rocky Mountain News reports:

U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar believes University of Colorado presidential candidate Bruce Benson might be the right person to put together a coalition to deal with the university’s funding crisis.

Salazar on Monday praised Benson’s community leadership and contributions to education.

“I think that needs to be recognized,” Salazar, a Denver Democrat, said in an interview.

Benson, an oilman and former state Republican Party chairman, has been criticized in some corners for being too political and not having any advanced degrees…

“Colorado ranks 49th in the country in funding higher education, and it’s going to be really difficult to come up with the revenue sources to get Colorado on the right track,” Salazar said.

Noting Colorado’s Mississippi-style lack of commitment to higher education funding is a good point to make in Benson’s favor, since funding is the only thing everyone agrees Benson brings to the table as CU President.

Liberal opponents to Benson’s nomination counter that his decades of support for GOP candidates can also help explain Colorado’s higher education funding crisis. What do you think?