With midterm elections on the horizon, keep an eye out for three prominent University alumni on the ballot: Peter Shumlin ’79, John Hickenlooper ’74 ’80 MA, and Michael Bennet ’87. Both Hickenlooper and Bennet are Democrats running in Colorado, with Hickenlooper for governor and Bennet seeking reelection in the U.S. Senate. Peter Shumlin is the current President pro-tempore of the Vermont State Senate and the Democratic candidate for governor in Vermont. All three politicians were successful in winning the Democratic primary in their respective races, but all three face a tough fight to win.

Peter Shumlin ’79

Shumlin is running against Republican Brian Dubie for Governor of Vermont. Shumlin had previously run against Dubie for the position of Lieutenant Governor in 2002. Dubie has been reelected three times since the 2002 election.

Still, Shumlin’s political experience is far from scant. The Putney, Vt. native got his start in 1980, a mere year after his graduation from Wesleyan, when he was elected to serve on Putney’s town board. Shumlin continued to advance through the ranks of Vermont politics, and by 1990 he was elected to Vermont’s House of Representatives.

Not content to stay in the Vermont House, Shulmin opted to run for a place in the Vermont State Senate as a representative of Windham County. During his time in the Senate, Shumlin rose to various leadership positions, taking the post of Democratic leader as well as earning the title of President pro-tempore in 1997.

Shumlin’s four-year leave from politics following his defeat in the 2002 Vermont Lieutenant Governor election proved to be short-lived; he made the decision to return to his old seat in the Vermont State Senate in 2006. Again, Shumlin was elected to his former position as President pro-tempore.

Aside from his career in politics, Shumlin is known for being one of the founders of Landmark College, a private, four-year institution that allows students with various learning disabilities to gain a post-secondary education.  Shumlin also works with his brother Jeff to head Putney Student Travel, a well-known summer travel abroad program for high school students that was originally established by Shumlin’s parents.

The Vermont native announced his plans to participate in the gubernatorial race in November 2009. If elected, Shumlin plans to focus on reducing unemployment, fighting climate change (including increasing the usage of “green” energy and implementation of sustainable agriculture), raising the quality of public education in Vermont, and reforming healthcare.

Shumlin has already seen one very close call in his campaign for governor. The five-way Democratic primary ended with Shumlin capturing 18,301 votes to 18,098 votes for Senator Doug Racine and 17,601 votes for Secretary of State Deb Markowitz. The primary was so close that Racine asked for a recount after Shumlin was first declared the winner, which later resulted in Shumlin’s victory being reaffirmed.

Michael Bennet ’87

Of the three candidates, Michael Bennet, who is running for re-election for Senate in Colorado, has perhaps the closest connection to Wesleyan. Bennet, a Beta Theta Pi brother, is the son of Douglas J. Bennet ‘59, who served as the University’s president prior to Michael Roth, from 1995 to 2007.

Prior to his career in politics, Michael Bennet was heavily involved in the business world working for Colorado billionaire Phillip Anschutz. During his time at the Anschutz Investment Company, Bennet served as Managing Director and focused primarily on deals concerning the oil and entertainment industries.

During the majority of the 2000s, Bennet was firmly entrenched in the world of investments and finance. However, after departing from business, Bennet was selected by Hickenlooper to act as the Denver Mayor’s Chief of Staff. Bennet continued his political career and rose to the rank of superintendent of the Denver Public School system.

The year 2009 marked a profound change for the relatively unseasoned politician. When former Colorado senator Ken Salazar vacated his seat for the position of Secretary of the Interior under the Obama administration, Bennet found himself catapulted onto the national political scene when he was appointed junior senator of Colorado.

Despite his supposed inexperience, the newly appointed Senator hit the ground running in the Senate, as was evident in his appointment to the late Ted Kennedy’s seat in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Currently, the 2010 Colorado senate race is extremely heated, with the two candidates each sparring on economic and social issues. While Republican candidate Ken Buck has been consistently attacking Bennet’s campaign on the basis of overspending by the Democratic Party, Bennet has chosen to focus on his opponent’s social policies, such as Buck’s staunch pro-life stance.

John Hickenlooper ’74 ’80 MA

A staple of the Denver political scene, John Hickenlooper is the Democratic contender in the Colorado 2010 gubernatorial race. Students may remember the Denver mayor, who received both a BA in English and a Master’s degree in geology from the University, as last spring’s commencement speaker. Hickenlooper urged the class of 2010 to “feed your dreams, not your nightmares” and to “persevere against the naysayers.” While Hickenlooper made it clear during his address that he had terrible trouble keeping up with assignments (so much so that he temporarily dropped out of the University), one would not suspect this given his resolve in the business and political worlds.

After losing his initial job as a geologist, Hickenlooper decided to enter the field of business by opening a brewpub: an endeavor that he knew little to nothing about. Hickenlooper’s Wynkoop Brewing Company was very successful; it is now a staple of Denver’s impressive brewing culture and played a large role in revitalizing the city’s downtown.

After 15 years in the Denver business scene during which he helped bring economic development to the Lower Downtown neighborhood, Hickenlooper made the decision to run for mayor. Much like his brewing business venture, Hickenlooper had no experience in the field of politics prior to his mayoral campaign.

After being elected mayor of Denver in 2003, Hickenlooper made boosting Denver’s economic system one of his top priorities. As mayor, Hickenlooper increased Denver’s usage of environmentally friendly practices through the creation of GreenPoint Denver as well as beginning a broad crusade to end homelessness among Denver’s urban poor.

In his bid for governor, Hickenlooper has campaigned on the issue of restoring economic stability to Colorado through the creation of jobs. Given his extensive experience in business, it is likely that, if elected, Hickenlooper will be able to successfully implement his plan for widespread economic development.

If you’re a resident of Colorado or Vermont and haven’t already sent in your absentee ballot for the midterm elections, consider checking off one of these three former Cardinals when you cast your vote!