Over the weekend, USA Today published a front-page article about the U.S. Senate race in Colorado, noting that Democrat Michael Bennet, who was appointed to his current position as U.S. senator by Governor Bill Ritter last year, is facing several hurdles in his first election.

That includes the Democratic primary, in which Bennet faces former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff.

One of the big questions for the newspaper is just how appointed senators fare when they finally have to run for their seat. Unfortunately for Bennet supporters, they typically lose. Westword calls the USAT article “a virtual [Ken] Buck valentine. The kind of PR Jane Norton certainly doesn’t need at this point.”

Time magazine, meanwhile, takes a closer look at the Buck factor, observing that the Weld County prosecutor has “surfed a wave of grass-roots energy and anti-Washington animus to a lead over the front runner,” former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton—pretty good, considering he almost hopped out of the race when Norton got in. The campaign between the two is essentially a contest over who can out-conservative the other.

Yet, what’s “striking” to Time is that beyond the rhetoric, “the two candidates actually have few substantive disagreements.” Buck and Norton definitely disagree with that assessment. Decide for yourself by listening to KUNC radio’s report on a debate between the two at Colorado Public Television.