Obama to Colorado for Bennet fundraiser

President Obama will head to Colorado later this month to support Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), a White House official confirmed today.

According to media reports, Obama is slated to do three fundraising events for Bennet and the Colorado Democratic Party Feb. 18 in Denver.

An email sent to potential donors said the presidential visit shows the White House's commitment to the appointed senator. "Rather than parachute in at the last moment as happened in some recent Democratic elections, the president has made the Bennet campaign a real priority, and is coming early in this election year to show his support," the email said.

A spokesman for former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, who's challenging Bennet for the Democratic Senate nomination, called the trip a sign of "panic."

"The president's early visit to Colorado is a signal of panic within the Bennet campaign," said Bill Romjue, Romanoff's campaign manager. "Sen. Bennet is beginning to realize that all the money he has raised in Washington, much of it from industries that have perennially blocked the Democratic agenda, will not protect him from the voters of Colorado."

Bennet has close to $3.5 million in the bank, while Romanoff's campaign has about $500,000, according to reports.