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J.J. Ament Concedes, Walker Stapleton to Face Cary Kennedy for Treasurer

On his Facebook page, just a few minutes ago J.J. Ament published a concession to Walker Stapleton in Colorado's Republican state treasurer primary:... would like to thank the countless volunteers across the state who made this a competitive race and I wish Walker all the best in defeating Cary Kennedy in November. At this hour the Denver Post reports with 77 percent reporting that Walker Stapleton has a 50.7-49.2 lead over Ament. Not to toot my own horn, but I did predict that Stapleton would beat Ament 51-49. Hey, I had to nail one race right on, didn't I? … [Read more...]

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GOP AND Tea Party Leaders: Daniel K. Maes, Will You Please Go Now!

Denver Post headline this evening: "Maes loses support from GOP, grassroots; vows to stay in race":...Hank Brown, a former U.S. senator and former University of Colorado president, withdrew his endorsement, setting off a domino effect not only among prominent Republicans, but Maes' core, grassroots base. Tea Party leaders across the state today said in often harsh terms that they wanted Maes to drop out.... Let me explain. No... let me sum up: … [Read more...]

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Chinook Fund-Columbus Day Protest Link Raises Demand for Transparency in Hickenlooper’s Charitable Giving

Complete Colorado broke a story late last night that adds another twist to the governor's race -- specifically tying Democratic candidate John Hickenlooper and the Chinook Fund he founded to timely financial support of the "Transform Columbus Day Alliance" and its 2007 Denver protests that led to 83 arrests. Featuring a somewhat disturbing original picture, Complete Colorado notes:The 2007 Columbus Day Parade protests included bloodied fake babies in the streets. Writing on the Denver Post's political blog, Chuck Plunkett probes the issue more deeply:The Complete Colorado report helps provide a snapshot of how donating to “Transform Columbus Day Alliance” type groups causes these kinds of spectacle leads to real-life trouble for city … [Read more...]

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Bernie Buescher Wants Earlier Primary Election: A Viable Campaign Issue?

I recently reported on the Department of Defense (DoD) denying Ritter-appointed Colorado Secretary of State Bernie Buescher's request for a waiver from the law requiring ballots be sent out to military personnel no later than 45 days before the general election. Less widely reported has been Buescher's call to address the problem by urging the legislature to move Colorado's primary election earlier on the calendar. Based on the waiver request sent to the DoD, it looks like the Democratic official would like to see the primary moved up 7 weeks -- from August 14 to June 26 in the upcoming 2012 election year. Of course, a change in the law would have an impact on the timing of the caucus and assembly process. (Statewide assemblies would … [Read more...]

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Colorado State Senate Majority Looks to Hang on a Tight, Razor-Thin Margin

Nearing the middle of September, it's about seven weeks until Election Day. And in many counties ballots will start going out weeks before November 2. One oft-overlooked piece of the electoral puzzle comes down to which party will have control of Colorado's state legislature for the next two years -- a critical piece of setting state policy and the next round of Congressional re-districting. Today is Mount Virtus' final big picture look at the 2010 state senate races before Election Day. First, a little overview. The Colorado State Senate has 35 seats, with senators serving up to two four-year terms. Democrats currently hold a 21-14 majority. Roughly half of the 35 districts are up for election in any given cycle. In 2010, Colorado … [Read more...]

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Local Veteran Blogger Goes Pro as NRO Colorado Election Correspondent

One of Colorado's best and hardest-working people in new media has gone pro. Michael Sandoval, originally an innovative and successful blogger at Slapstick Politics and more recently managing editor of People's Press Collective, is now on the Colorado 2010 election beat for National Review Online. His first posting helps to get a national audience up to speed on our state's U.S. Senate race. (By the way, thanks to Michael, for the incoming link.) Here's guessing he's not itching to provide similar treatment of Colorado's roller-coaster gubernatorial campaign. Anyway, over the next few months I look forward to good original reporting and more insightful analysis from NRO's home-grown Colorado correspondent. And I encourage my readers … [Read more...]

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Denver’s Michael Fallon Embraces Tough Task of Retiring Diana DeGette

Last week I was privileged with the opportunity to sit down and meet Dr. Michael Fallon, the Republican candidate for Colorado's 1st Congressional District. For those in the know, that phrase typically evokes shrugs of apathy. A Republican in the 1st CD? That covers the heart of Denver. The city has been represented by the tag team of Lefty Democratic icons Pat Schroeder and Diana DeGette for a combined 37 years. Republicans has held the office for a total of one two-year term since 1946. According to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, only 49 of 435 Congressional Districts are considered more heavily Democratic. But don't think for a moment that deters the 45-year-old Fallon. "Diana DeGette is out of touch with the district," the … [Read more...]

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Bernie Buescher Doesn’t Get His Way: Time to Make Military Votes a Priority

Update, 8/28: I have uploaded a copy of the official DoD letter denying Buescher's waiver request. A few weeks ago, Bill Ritter-appointed Secretary of State Bernie Buescher brought his own campaign into the news limelight by requesting a waiver from the law requiring ballots be sent out to military personnel no later than 45 days before the general election. By doing so, Buescher opened the door to accusations that he was trying "to shaft military voters." Last week Brad Jones from Face The State reported on Buescher's national television appearance on Fox News where he sought to justify the waivers, noting:...it’s hard to understand why Buescher is allowing himself to become the national poster boy for military voting snafus when … [Read more...]