Thanks to Complete Colorado linking to this interesting Channel 7 story breaking down political campaign giving, I ran into some interesting data on the reported campaign contributions here in Colorado's 7th Congressional District. I've pasted a screenshot of the chart from Open Secrets: … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2010
Hickenlooper Loses Edge on Charitable Giving, Exposes Political “Glass Jaw”?
Driving home from the office yesterday evening, listening to the tail end of the Caplis & Silverman Show on 630 KHOW, I could hardly believe my ears as Denver mayor and Democrat gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper assumed an uncharacteristically defensive tone when the hosts pressed him on his refusal to disclose any names of the charitable organizations his personal wealth has supported through the years. As the show's closing music played, Hickenlooper lashed out at the show as biased and indicated he wasn't too interested in coming back on the show again. Complete Colorado has posted the audio. Rossputin provides a great recap and thorough breakdown of the Mayor's "strained" argument that raises more questions about the … [Read more...]
The Colorado Senate Race
Editor's note: Please welcome RMA and PPC blogger Night Twister from his original blogging home to his new digs as a guest blogger at Mount Virtus. Look for occasional contributions from him to help make up for my low blogging output, due to extra busy-ness of late. After reading this , this, and especially this by Erick Erickson at RedState, I felt it necessary to write a response. A little background would be helpful first, however. Over the past decade, Colorado conservatives have taken a beating. In 2000, we held the Governor's Mansion, the state House and Senate chambers, both U.S. Senate seats, and 5 of 7 House seats. Even so, Colorado's history includes dramatic swings from Democrat to Republican leadership. Much has been … [Read more...]
Dean Boehler’s Emerging Campaign Shows 2010 Election Uncertainty
Update: For comparison, a video of Ellen Roberts' SD 6 assembly speech also has been posted. It's been a few months since I provided an update of Colorado state senate races. I rated Senate District 6 -- in southwest Colorado, on the other side of the state -- as the number one Republican target, noting with current Rep. Ellen Roberts remaining on pace fundraising with Democrat incumbent Bruce Whitehead that, "This seat remains the closest to an automatic party switch in the fall." But the people of Senate District 6 will have something to say about the matter first. Last Saturday the late-entry campaign of San Miguel County's conservative Dean Boehler took some state political observers by storm by capturing 66 percent of the … [Read more...]
Lexington and Concord, 235 Years Later
While a certain Democratic ex-President has been trying to exploit the memory of today's terrible 15th anniversary to take a political cheap shot at millions of Americans, I prefer to commemorate a different anniversary. Two hundred thirty-five years ago today, American patriots at Lexington and Concord ignited the cause of liberty on American shores. What was nearly unthinkable on April 19, 1775 -- a ragtag band of Patriot colonists winning the hearts and minds of many countrymen, the support of the French crown and securing independence from Britain -- eventually came to pass. But the heroism of the farmers and craftsmen in small Massachusetts towns who stood tall against General Thomas Gage's Redcoats, including of the dozens who … [Read more...]
Ed Perlmutter 42, Ryan Frazier 39: Race for Colorado’s 7th CD is On
A week ago I mentioned a new poll from Colorado's 7th Congressional District showing Republican challenger Ryan Frazier in a statistical dead heat with liberal Democrat Ed Perlmutter. Compliments of the Frazier campaign, below are the details of the April 8 survey from Magellan Data Mapping and Strategies:Ryan Frazier (R): 39% Ed Perlmutter (D): 42% … [Read more...]
Jim DeMint Endorsement Big Boost for Buck Campaign: Is It Enough?
As Don Johnson has noted, U.S. Senate candidate Ken Buck earned an important endorsement today from Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) and the Senate Conservative Fund:"There are certainly other good Republicans in this race," said Senator DeMint, "but I believe Ken Buck is a conservative standout who will fight the establishment in both parties when he gets to Washington." At lunch I joined the conference call, and was able to ask Senator DeMint if there was concern about the Buck campaign's ability to raise money to wage a successful general election campaign. I paraphrase, but his response essentially was: … [Read more...]
Don’t Delay: Find a 2010 Colorado Tax Day Tea Party Near You
Update: If you can't make it in person, you also can follow the Denver Tea Party online. Do you live in Colorado? Are you sick of out-of-control government spending and encroachment on our liberties? The Tea Party of Northern Colorado has posted the most comprehensive roundup of this Thursday's Tax Day Tea Party events I've seen. Check out the list below, find one of the 14 events near you, and come out for the festivities and to send a strong message to our elected officials: … [Read more...]
Check Out The Blueprint: Its Political Lessons Are Well Worth Absorbing
Last Tuesday I received a review copy of The Blueprint: How the Democrats Won Colorado (and Why Republicans Everywhere Should Care by award-winning 9News political reporter Adam Schrager and former Republican state representative Rob Witwer. Despite having a lot on my plate, I found time to read the book in two evenings. The book is a quick read but remarkably packed with substance. Political insiders who have followed the past three election cycles in Colorado will find a good amount of familiar material, and may learn a few things on the way. Everyone else, buckle up. The transformation of Colorado's political power structures from Republican to Democratic dominance is a worthwhile and important study -- one that points to the … [Read more...]
Jeffco GOP Assembly Report: Ryan Frazier, John Suthers, Ken Buck Shine
Yesterday morning I was at the Jefferson County Republican Assembly. If you saw Lynn Bartels' picture of the sea of signs, you know precisely where I was. There isn't a whole lot to report on, other than the doughnuts I ate too many of were really good. We forwarded a slate of strong candidates for county office--including incumbents Sheriff Ted Mink, Clerk Pam Anderson, and Treasurer Tim Kauffman--and (hopefully) my next state senator John Odom. And these events are somewhat like political family reunions -- this time with a good amount of new, enthusiastic faces in the crowd. Sources say 980 delegates and alternates in all crowded the El Jebel shrine next door to Denver's Willis Case Golf Course. That sounds about right to me. The … [Read more...]