It’s been a big week so far for GOP 7th Congressional candidate Jimmy Lakey. On Sunday he won a plurality of votes from viewers of the North Denver candidate forum. Then today, word broke on the liberal Colorado Pols blog that Tom Tancredo is endorsing Lakey — though no confirmation as of yet has been published by the candidate himself.
Finally, Jimmy Lakey was introduced to a national audience in a one-segment appearance on the Hugh Hewitt Show. In general, Lakey came across well on the interview, though the format was too tight to be very informative to the general listener.
My gripe is with the interviewer, and reminded me of why I had stopped listening to Hugh’s drive-time program for many weeks. Tom Lucero isn’t the only (or even the leading) Republican candidate in the 4th Congressional, and the same can be said of Jimmy Lakey in the 7th.
Nothing at all against Lakey (or Lucero, for that matter), and Hewitt has every right to issue his personal endorsements. But it’s disingenuous of the national radio host to not acknowledge the existence of any of the four other Republican candidates vying to challenge Ed Perlmutter, especially:
- NRCC contender Ryan Frazier, who outraised incumbent Perlmutter in the fourth quarter, has raked in a slew of endorsements, and has a perfect record on our grassroots survey of Colorado’s political temperature
- Former senior McCain staffer Lang Sias, who has garnered some Beltway support and was among the first Colorado candidates to pledge repeal of Obama Care
None of that is to downplay what certainly appears to be a good week for Jimmy Lakey. The question as we approach the March 16 caucus and May 20 Congressional assembly is whether local Republicans have a 3-way race on our hands to take on Ed Perlmutter. In any case, I wouldn’t give much weight to the opinion of Hugh Hewitt.
Good post, Ben.
I just published my interviews with Lang Sias and Walker Stapleton at http://www.businessword.com. Previously, I published stories about appearances before GOP groups by Ryan Frazier and Jimmy Lakey. Each story summarizes their comments and reports the questions their audiences asked and their answers to those questions. So, effectively I have published my interview with Sias and audience “interviews” with the other two leading CD-7 candidates. I’ve tried to keep my opinions out of the interviews and let the candidates have their say.
To see my interviews and reports on the leading gubernatorial, Senate and Congressional candidates, search their last names on my blog. I hope this doesn’t look too self promotional. I just want people to know all of these candidates are on the record in considerable detail.
I think we have a pretty good crop of candidates, btw.