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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...]

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John McCain to Host D.C. Fundraiser for 7th CD Candidate Lang Sias

A lot of hullabaloo has been made of late about U.S. Senate candidate Jane Norton's D.C. fundraisers. Less well known are the plans of 7th Congressional candidate Lang Sias. Four days after the 7th CD Assembly -- in which Sias will struggle against the strong grassroots base of support for conservative Ryan Frazier to secure 30 percent and get a place on the ballot -- Sias is planning a D.C. fundraiser at the Capitol Hill Club with John McCain. The following is the email from Lang Sias:As many of you know, I'm running for Congress in Colorado's 7th Congressional district. We're making some very good progress on the ground; we picked up a bunch of endorsements over the last week, and are charging into the Congressional district … [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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Bob Beauprez Backs Lang Sias, Raises Questions about Relevance, Judgment

In one of Colorado's most head-scratching political moves of the year, former GOP Congressman and wildly unsuccessful 2006 gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez announced his endorsement of 7th Congressional candidate and Republican newcomer Lang Sias. The first reaction I and many of my politically aware friends had pretty much boiled down to: Huh??? When Tom Tancredo and Jimmy Lakey threw their support behind Sias, they carefully avoided trying to draw distinctions among the Republican field. Not so Beauprez: … [Read more...]

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Elections Have Consequences

Below is an actual letter sent out last week to the employees of a company doing business in Colorado. It is presented without comment. The names of the company and the individuals have been redacted. Staff: When people say elections don’t matter, that their vote doesn’t count, and that they cannot make a difference – they are wrong! … [Read more...]

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Launching the New-Look May Survey of Colorado’s Political Temperature

Update II, 1:50 PM: A technical error in survey production resulted in accidentally omitting new gubernatorial candidate Joe Gschwendtner's name as a possible selection for Q13 & Q14. I am pleased to report the issue has been fixed. If you want to vote for this candidate, you can go back in and re-take the quiz if necessary. The survey will capture only your latest answers: you still get only one vote. Apologies for the screw-up. Everything is back on track. We are working to remedy the results display issue, but for now everything about the survey itself is in proper working order. Update, High Noon: After a series of technical glitches this morning with the way the results were being displayed, the results page is down for the time … [Read more...]

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Democrats’ HB 1181 Union Buy-Off: Pushing the State Capitol Panic Button

Update, 5/8: Colorado LOSES has a great idea about what to do with HB 1181. If Republicans can't kill it, the least they should do is offer an amendment to ensure transparency of state employee union finances. In the waning days of the legislative session, is anyone up to the challenge? (H/T Complete Colorado) The Denver Post's Tim Hoover reports today:Days before the legislature adjourns, some Democrats are pushing a proposal that would guarantee unions could still collect dues from state employees — even if the next governor is not union-friendly. The effort comes in the form of an amendment to House Bill 1181, a mostly technical bill dealing with policies of the Department of Personnel and Administration. The bill's sponsor, Sen. … [Read more...]

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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...]