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Numbers Don’t Back Norton Camp’s Attempt to Disparage SurveyUSA

Colorado's big political buzz since Sunday has revolved around the Denver Post / 9News / SurveyUSA polling on the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races. The governor matchups pretty much reflect Rasmussen's recently released results, but the latest poll also puts Scott McInnis at a 2-to-1 advantage over fellow Republican Dan Maes in head-to-head support for the primary. On this point PPC blogger PerlStalker is correct about Maes' chances:That’s a lot of ground to make up before the August primary. I doubt that he can do it with so little time left. Don Johnson and others have been highlighting the most newsworthy result: Ken Buck's 53-37 advantage over Jane Norton in the Republican showdown for the U.S. Senate contest. The response from … [Read more...]

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Kudos to Denver Post for Calling Out Udall, Bennet on Big Labor Sop

The Denver Post editorial board is on track today with a piece calling on Colorado's sell-out U.S. Senators to come out and oppose a terrible piece of special interest payback legislation known as the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act:Insiders say Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is championing the measure, has as many as 62 votes. That tally includes Udall and Bennet. … [Read more...]

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Ken Buck Leads Jane Norton 42-32 among Likely GOP Primary Voters

Don Johnson recently highlighted the latest Rasmussen poll showing potential head-to-head matchups among the four major candidates for Colorado's U.S. Senate seat. But of course, the four different possible matchups of Democrat vs. Republican will be determined by voters in their respective parties by August 10. As the two GOP candidates Ken Buck and Jane Norton vie to make their respective cases for electability as one factor among many to woo primary voters, it's also of great value to see how the two are faring against each other. A newly-released Magellan Strategies poll may be some of the best news Ken Buck has garnered yet. Among a representative sample of 1,026 likely Republican primary voters surveyed statewide, Buck holds a … [Read more...]

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Outrageous Attacks Abound in Colorado GOP U.S. Senate Primary Race

If I were to pick candidates to support in this year's primary based on the ill behavior of political allies, I wouldn't be able to back Jane Norton or Ken Buck to be Colorado's next U.S. Senator. First, it was the over-the-top attacks from Norton lieutenant Josh Penry (whom I had enthusiastically decided to endorse during his brief, abortive run for governor) against Buck. Then yesterday I nearly fell out of my chair when I read this bizarre hit piece by Red State's Erick Erickson on Jane Norton. Until today, most of Buck-backer Erickson's jabs at Norton have been at least somewhat reasonable. Then he highlighted this passage from an AP story: … [Read more...]

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Mark Hillman Highlights Candidates for State Legislature Worthy of Support

In the long-term battle for liberty, limited government and Constitutional Founding principles, it is crucial to focus attention and energy on this year's election for state legislative seats. Among other things, these candidates bring the opportunity to change majorities before redistricting begins and strengthen the bench for future runs at higher office. Those who follow my writings here are familiar with my analyses of Colorado's 2010 state senate and state house races. In the same spirit, I was very pleased to see my friend and Republican national committeeman / former state treasurer Mark Hillman start a new feature on his "Capitol Review" email updates:This year, you're hearing much about candidates for federal office, but … [Read more...]

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Connections: Colorado’s Bob Schaffer Backs Pete Hoekstra for Michigan Guv

A connection of the state of nativity with my state of residence -- the state where I cut my teeth on politics with the teeth the state where I've come more involved in politics than I ever imagined. Conservative leader Bob Schaffer, former Congressman and current chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education, publicly announced his endorsement in the Republican primary for Michigan's gubernatorial race in an email sent today to supporters:Please join me in supporting U. S. Congressman Pete Hoekstra in his campaign to become Governor of Michigan. With all the attention being paid to campaigns here in Colorado, you’re surely wondering why I’d ask you to join Maureen and me by supporting a candidate in Michigan. The answer is pretty … [Read more...]

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Colorado 2010 State Senate Showdown: GOP Challengers Gain Momentum

It's been a long time since I offered up rankings of the Colorado state senate races most likely to switch party hands this fall. Now that the latest voter registration numbers are available, campaign finance reports are in and the legislature is out of session, it's time to take a fresh look. Just for review, there are 35 seats in the Colorado state senate, and Democrats possess a decisive 21-14 advantage. State senators serve four-year terms and only come up for election every other cycle, unless there was a vacancy filled and a special election is needed. Nineteen of the 35 seats are up for grabs in 2010: 11 held by Democrats and 8 held by Republicans. Five of the Democrat-held seats and all but one of the Republican-held seats are … [Read more...]

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May Survey of Colorado’s Political Temperature: Same Winners Emerge

For those who are interested, the results of the May survey of Colorado's political temperature are posted on Facebook. For a variety of reasons, including the transition to a new setting, participation in the survey is down significantly -- leaving perhaps the most dedicated and passionate 117 conservative Colorado political Facebookers (half of whom say they plan to attend Saturday's state GOP Assembly as either delegates or alternates) to chime in. A few highlights for your consumption: Ken Buck is a runaway winner in the U.S. Senate primary Dan Maes pulls in 50 percent, Scott McInnis about 30 percent and newcomer Joe Gschwendtner picks up a few votes Ryan Frazier, Cory Gardner and Scott Tipton remain clear frontrunners in their … [Read more...]

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Colorado State House Breakdown: Majority Up for Grabs, Tiny GOP Edge

On Thursday I updated the rankings of Colorado's competitive state senate seats. After 15 weeks it's also time to update the Colorado state house rankings. A quick overview: There are 65 seats in the Colorado state house, and all of them are up for re-election every two years. State representatives are limited to four two-year terms of service. Currently, the Democratic majority holds 37 seats and Republicans 27, with one seat belonging to unaffiliated (and former Democrat) Kathleen Curry. Fifty-two incumbents are running to retain their seats: 30 Democrats (including 2 vacancy appointments), 21 Republicans (including 2 vacancy appointments) and Curry. That leaves 7 open Democrat and 6 Republican seats. Interestingly, Colorado … [Read more...]