A Whole Lot of Jockeyin’ Going On

While 99% of the population goes on obliviously with their everyday lives, the jockeying goes on among potential and declared candidates for Colorado political offices.

The Rocky Mountain News reports this afternoon that University of Denver President and former investment banker Marc Holtzman still is not an official candidate for governor. I’m not sure this story would be newsworthy except that the state’s political insiders are waiting with baited breath to see if Congressman Bob Beauprez is going to throw his hat into the ring. Holtzman well may be waiting to see what Beauprez will do before officially joining the race. Beauprez in, Holtzman out. Beauprez out, Holtzman in. State Treasurer Mike Coffman appears to be hanging in there for now. And the rumors are flying around former Congressman Scott McInnis.

Should Beauprez declare himself a candidate for governor, he would be the prohibitive Republican favorite. The only danger there would be the critical loss of incumbency in the 7th CD race. The Rocky reports some redeeming good news for the GOP, however. The first Democrat to declare her candidacy in the 7th CD is Joanna Conti, who ran an aggressive campaign against Tom Tancredo in the 6th CD. I have to agree with the Dead Governors: Conti is not the Dems’ best hope and will certainly look like an interloper in that race. But I won’t shed any tears over that.

On the Democrat side of the gubernatorial race, Congressman Mark Udall has already bowed out, and now the Dead Governors have some serious inside speculation that big Dem donors have serious doubts about the Rutt Bridges campaign. Does that leave room for John Hickenlooper? Andrew Romanoff? Jared Polis? Let’s wait and see.

Which gubernatorial candidates – Republican and/or Democrat – would you most want to see square off next fall?

Update, 10:30 p.m.: Word has come directly from Bob Beauprez’s office that the 7th CD Congressman is forming an exploratory committee to run for governor. My guess is that a few weeks of talking to enough people in the party will convince him he’s the GOP’s man to make a run for the state’s chief executive office.