The former Democratic State Speaker of the House answered viewer questions this morning on YOUR SHOW and said despite President Barack Obama's endorsement of Bennet after Romanoff passed on the opportunity; he's not worried about the past.

"The only job that I'm focused on is representing the people of Colorado in the United States Senate," said Romanoff, who left the Colorado General Assembly in 2009. "This race isn't about my job at all. It's about yours and the millions of other Coloradans who want to make sure they've got a good job to go to when they get up in the morning. It's about the 65,000 people in this state who are expected to lose their job this year alone."

The Denver Post first reported this morning that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina reached out to Romanoff after word had leaked of his interest in running for the Senate. The paper stated that Messina suggested a place for the Denver Democrat if he were to pass on the Senate run. A White House spokesperson told the paper no offer had been made.

Bennet was appointed to the position earlier this year by Gov. Bill Ritter (D-Colorado) after Ken Salazar became the Secretary of the Interior. Ritter said Romanoff had been considered for the position at the time. Some Colorado Democrats have openly worried that a contentious primary between the two would make it easier for the Republicans to capture the seat in the November 2010 election. Romanoff said he will run a positive campaign that seeks to register more voters and made the parallel to the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary and how the campaigns of then-Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama brought more people into the Democratic Party.

"My aim is to grow this party, not divide it," Romanoff said. "I think a primary can make our party, our state and our country stronger."

He says his time as Speaker of the House and his dedication to the needs of all Coloradans stands out in a crowded election that features he and Bennet as Democratic candidates and eight Republicans vying for that party's nomination.

"After 16 years of crisscrossing this state and getting to know the communities I hope to represent, I bring, I think, the strongest record of legislative leadership, the best understanding of the needs of my constituents of any candidate on either side of the aisle," he said.

Next Sunday, one of the Republicans looking to be elected Colorado's next U.S. Senator, former Lieutenant Governor Jane Norton, will answer your questions live in the studio. To participate in the conversation, send a question or comment by text or by video to: yourshow@9News.com.