Democratic primary - Will the real political outsider please stand up?

That question easily could be asked in Colorado's Democratic Senate race, where both the incumbent and his challenger are arm-wrestling over who is less likely to embrace anything Washington. Being seen as the bona fide outsider is a powerful election-year quality as frustrated voters turn their backs on the establishment.

Sen. Michael Bennet highlights his years as superintendent of Denver's public schools far more than his time as appointed senator. Andrew Romanoff, a former state House speaker, reminds Democrats that he upset party leaders by challenging Bennet and that some in Washington are "not my best friends at the moment."

In one campaign ad, Bennet's three daughters remind voters that their dad has only been in Washington for about a year and he's told them "it's the biggest mess he's seen." As the girls speak, they clean up their bedroom, tossing pillows into place.

Romanoff's ad shows the U.S. Capitol, flashing lights and a roulette wheel — "It's like a rigged casino," he says, arguing that Congress is too cozy with special interests and Wall Street. Romanoff says he doesn't take a dime of special interest money and proclaims, "I stand with you."   - More -