Colorado News by Jeremy Pelzer

UPDATED 1:58 P.M. 12/11/2008

U.S. Rep. John Salazar (D-Manassa) will join the House Appropriations Committee next year, making it unlikely that he'll become the next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, the Denver Post is reporting.

U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Denver) holds double-digit leads over potential 2010 GOP opponents Tom Tancredo and John Elway, according to a Daily Kos poll released Monday.

Salazar was favored in the poll over Tancredo 51 percent to 37 percent. Salazar also beat Elway, a less likely candidate, 49 percent to 38 percent.

The poll also showed Tancredo with a 41/46 approval/disapproval rating; only 38 percent of independents viewed the outgoing U.S. representative favorably, compared to 49 percent who had an unfavorable view of him.

UPDATED 3:54 P.M. 12/9/2008 

State Rep. Bernie Buescher (D-Grand Junction), state Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon (D-Denver), and state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff were named finalists to be appointed Colorado Secretary of State, Gov. Bill Ritter's office announced Tuesday.

The three were selected from 20 applicants by a seven-member advisory panel convened after current Secretary of State Mike Coffman was elected to Congress last month.

U.S. Rep. John Salazar (D-Manassa) told Reuters on Monday that his name has been submitted for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and that he has spoken with President-elect Barack Obama's transition team about the Cabinet post.

But he said he was "a real long-shot" for agriculture secretary, according to AgWeb.