Colo. Senate hopeful Andrew Romanoff sells house to help pay for primary bid

There's no place like home -- well, unless you're Democratic Senate hopeful Andrew Romanoff

USA TODAY's Naomi Jagoda reports that Romanoff has sold his house to help pay for his Aug. 10 Democratic primary bid against Sen. Michael Bennet

The former Colorado House speaker told The Denver Post that his Denver residence sold for $360,000. He loaned his Senate campaign $325,000 after he paid off the remaining mortgage and dipped into other savings

"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think I was going to win," Romanoff said, adding that he doesn't spend much time at the house

Despite his confidence, Romanoff currently lags behind Bennet in the polls and in fundraising. As of June 30, he had about $464,000 available to spend, compared with almost $2.6 million for Bennet, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. The most recent Denver Post/SurveyUSA poll found Bennet leading Romanoff by 17 percentage points

This isn't the first time that the primary is making news. Romanoff made headlines when he said the White House tried to talk him into seeking a government job instead of challenging Bennet, who was appointed to the seat in 2009 after Ken Salazar became President Obama's secretary of the Interior

The primary also pits president against president: Obama has campaigned for Bennet, while former president Bill Clinton has endorsed Romanoff. Want more information about cottages for sale?

The Democratic nominee will face the winner of the Republican primary. That contest features Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, who has the support of anti-tax "Tea Party" activists, and former lieutenant governor Jane Norton

USA TODAY rates the Colorado Senate race a tossup. Check out our other race ratings in our new election map interactive.