During a segment on the January 15 broadcast of KMGH's 7News at 10 p.m. about U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard's (R-CO) announcement that he will not seek a third term, co-anchor Mike Landess reported solely on potential candidates in the “2008 Republican primary” -- completely ignoring any possible Democratic candidates, including U.S. Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, both of whom reportedly have expressed interest in running for Allard's seat.

As the Rocky Mountain News reported on January 16, “Sen. Wayne Allard touched off a scramble for his U.S. Senate seat on Monday, when he announced he will stand by his term-limits pledge and retire in 2008.” According to the News:

A long list of would-be replacements, from a talk show host to current and former politicians, began jockeying behind the scenes after Allard, 63, joined friends, allies and reporters at the state Capitol to say he's content to go back to being a “country veterinarian.”

The News further reported, “On the Democratic side, Rep. Mark Udall, of Eldorado Springs, has about $1.3 million in a congressional committee campaign fund that he could transfer to a Senate run, although he says he has not made a final decision.”

In its article about Allard's decision, The Denver Post quoted Jennifer Duffy, managing editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, who said Allard's seat is “an open seat in a state where Democrats have made enormous progress and there is a Democrat waiting in the wings with a set bank account.” As the Post reported:

The Democrat she referred to is five-term U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, who has repeatedly said he is running for the seat but has not officially filed. Udall, whose campaign account is already filled with $1.2 million, declined to give interviews Monday.

While Democrats have done a good job at avoiding bloody primaries in the past few years, there is already chatter about who might challenge Udall.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, who flirted with running for governor last year, said Monday that he would “absolutely not” run if Udall was in. But otherwise, he didn't want to “close out options.”

Unlike the News and the Post, KMGH 7News ignored Udall's and Hickenlooper's reported interest in a U.S. Senate run. Instead, Landess reported, “A number of Colorado Republicans are being mentioned as potential candidates for Wayne Allard's seat, including former Congressman Scott McInnis and Bob Schaffer. Congressman Tom Tancredo is one ... as well as Attorney General John Suthers.”

In contrast to KMGH's coverage, other late-night newscasts -- including KDVR Fox 31's News at Nine O'Clock, KUSA's 9News at 10 p.m., and KCNC's CBS4 News at 10 p.m. -- all reported on potential Democratic candidates, in addition to Republicans. On KCNC's January 15 broadcast, for example, reporter Jodi Brooks noted that “a lot of names are being thrown into the pot” to replace Allard. Brooks then listed possible Republican and Democratic candidates and noted that “Democrat Mark Udall has said he'd run for the seat.”

From the January 15 broadcast of KMGH's 7News at 10 p.m.:

LANDESS: The 2008 Republican primary here in Colorado could bring a lot of fireworks. Today, Colorado Senator Wayne Allard formally announced that he will keep a promise that he campaigned on. He's not going to seek a third term. Allard made his announcement at the state Capitol earlier today. And while the senator is fully aware that his choice is sure to upset some in the Republican Party, he told 7news investigator John Ferrugia his wife is just fine with it.

ALLARD: Well, I hope not -- I hope they won't be surprised. I hope they'll all recognize the fact that, you know, I've been a man of my word, and kept my commitments in the campaign, and I hope that the actions that we show here today will add credibility to Republican candidates.

JOAN ALLARD: Now we can go back and actually do things in the state that we always said as we drove by, well --

ALLARD: We ought to come back.

JOAN ALLARD: -- some day, we're going to get back and go fish that river or ... Now we can go do it.

LANDESS: That they can. A number of Colorado Republicans are being mentioned as potential candidates for Wayne Allard's seat, including former Congressman Scott McInnis and Bob Schaffer. Congressman Tom Tancredo is one as well, pardon me, as well as Attorney General John Suthers.

From the January 15 broadcast of KCNC's CBS4 News at 10 p.m.:

ALAN GIONET (co-anchor): Colorado Republican Senator Wayne Allard says he will honor a pledge he made more than 10 years ago; he will not run for a third term. That announcement came this morning, and already there's a lot of talk about who wants to run for his seat. CBS4's Jodi Brooks with us now tonight, and has more on Allard's announcement and who just might want to sit there.

BROOKS: Oh, a lot of names are being thrown into the pot. The senator is a veterinarian from Loveland. He's kept his license current, but he's not sure if that's what he'll do next. The question here, though, who will replace him?

BROOKS: Senator Wayne Allard believes in keeping promises.

ALLARD: The people of Colorado placed their trust in me, based on a promise I made to them. And I'm honoring that promise.

BROOKS: Senator Allard promised, if elected, he'd serve only two terms in the United States Senate. So when his term expires in two years, he will not run again.

ALLARD: I was encouraged by the national Republicans, as well as the state party, to make an early decision so that they can plan ahead. And I think that's fair.

BROOKS: So the conjecture on Senator Allard's replacement begins. As far as Republicans: former Congressman Scott McInnis; his office says he'll decide in the near future. Former Congressman Bob Schaffer. And former Governor Bill Owens, although Owens has said he will not run again for public office. On the other side of the aisle, Democrat Mark Udall has said he'd run for the seat. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper may start to feel a push. And maybe even state Senator Ken Gordon.

Senator Wayne Allard makes another promise: He will not make any endorsements before the primaries.

ALLARD: You know, I think it's healthy to have primaries. Of course, when I was having primary and people told me that, I didn't believe it.

BROOKS: Every time a political office is open, John Elway's name is thrown into the ring. I talked to his office today and they affirm he is not running for Senator Wayne Allard's seat. Other names we heard today, though: Bob Beauprez, John Suthers, Mike Coffman -- a lot of people's names are being thrown around. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.