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McInnis-Norton Think Tank Comes to Life with Bizarre, Irony-Rich Poll

Update, 9/25: From this morning's Denver Post: Sean Tonner said CPI "is not for elections" and "is going to be here long past 2010." However, Tonner has a long track record of working on elections, and CPI has absolutely no track record as an independent organization. So despite the obvious explanation that there's no formal relationship between CPI and these campaigns, the claim is dubious. Gulp -- I even agree with the Dead Guvs on this one. I'd been wondering when the new Colorado Policy Institute (CPI) would come to life and do something. So what did they finally do today? Publish a white paper? None of those yet. Post an item or two on their "Issues" page? Nope, still waiting for that to happen. One more guess, readers.... CPI … [Read more...]

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Rasmussen: Michael Bennet Vulnerable, Running Even with Ryan Frazier

On the eve of Jane Norton's official entry into Colorado's U.S. Senate fray comes from Rasmussen Reports what figures to be the last poll of the race without her for awhile. In this survey, the top two early Republican contenders were paired up separately against Bill Ritter's incumbent appointee Michael Bennet. The biggest clear takeaway from Rasmussen? Whether attributable to an unfriendly climate for Democrats, to his own lackluster performance, or to both -- the indecisive Bennet is vulnerable. Other insights? The ascendant but still little-known Ryan Frazier fares better than Ken Buck, standing even with the Democrat:The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds Bennet ahead of Buck 43% to 37%. With Frazier as the … [Read more...]

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Is Denver Post Trying to Help Clear the Field for Jane Norton, Too?

Five weeks ago the Sunday Denver Post editorial page featured a piece by columnist Vince Carroll that made short shrift of the U.S. Senate candidacies of Ryan Frazier and Ken Buck, while making the pitch for Bob Beauprez. The Post's management clearly was using its editorial heft to tout Beauprez as the GOP's great hope to defeat Ritter-appointed incumbent Michael Bennet. Well, two weeks later Bob Beauprez officially announced he was NOT tossing his hat in the ring. So now the Post is rolling out the red carpet for Jane Norton. Witness today's column by editorial page editor Dan Haley straining the bounds of credibility to tout Norton's virtues and dismiss her opponents. … [Read more...]

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Tilting the Field: NRSC Chairman’s Fundraisers Raise Jane Norton’s D.C. Money, Too

Update 2: NRSC responds again: "Your correction is incorrect. Neither of the folks you mention are NRSC fundraisers in any way. We do have a fundraising department but neither of the people you mention work for the NRSC or are contracted by us. Magda El-Tobgui raises money for Sen. Cornyn personal leadership PAC and she has a number of clients as well – but that’s all separate and apart from the NRSC." So the official organs of the NRSC are not connected to these fundraisers, but NRSC chairman John Cornyn is. You can decide how important the technical distinction is. I regret the error and again have updated the headline and text to reflect the greatest possible accuracy. The bottom line to me is clear: Jane Norton is the D.C. Republican … [Read more...]

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Candidate Luke Korkowski to Bike through Mountains, Sets Himself Apart

When you are in the bottom tier of candidates in the crowded primary field for Colorado's Republican U.S. Senate primary nomination, you have to do what you can to attract attention. Enter the physically fit and environmentally responsible grassroots candidate Luke Korkowski, who today announces: … [Read more...]

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Colorado GOP Straw Poll Analysis: Depends on the Definition of “Clobber”

From the Department of Bad Headlines comes yesterday's Grand Junction Sentinel piece: "Penry, Norton clobber field in GOP straw poll". Yes, by winning nearly 80 percent of the vote, Josh Penry clobbered Evergreen businessman Dan Maes and no-show Scott McInnis -- earning nearly 8 times as many votes as his nearest competitor. But Jane Norton -- backed by Washington, D.C., powerbrokers and touted by the Denver Post as a campaign "game-changer" -- flexed her high-powered campaign machine to win just 34 percent of the vote and best her rivals Ryan Frazier and Ken Buck by only 25 votes. Clobbered? Hmmm, not exactly. Another example that new media often is more on top of its game, better understanding and interpreting political news than … [Read more...]

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Beneath Surface of Sept. Survey: Josh Penry’s Biggest Gains with Older Voters

For those who wish to dig a little deeper, today (at the end of this post) we release some more analysis of the results of our September survey of Colorado's political temperature. A few highlights -- in no particular order: The biggest gains fueling Josh Penry's surge in the latest poll come among those in the over-50 age group Of the eight candidates in the governor's and U.S. Senate races who received at least 10 votes of support, five are favored most often because of agreement on key issues, while three were primarily chosen for their past record -- none of the other five options registered as the main factor for support No surprises: Significantly more Ryan Frazier and Ken Buck backers think primaries are good and that national … [Read more...]

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The Deadline Approaches: Time to Send a Message with Your Money

We're two days away from the close of the political fundraising quarter. And maybe you've been getting harassed by the same amount of emails and other contacts as I have, urging you to give before the next reports come out. But I'll repeat it, too: If you have a clear favorite in one or more of Colorado's Republican primary races or you just want to tell the NRSC and Washington bigwigs to take a hike, nothing sends a message like a campaign donation. If you're like me, you aren't going to come close to making the max contribution ($1,050 for governor and other statewide races, or $4,800 for U.S. House and U.S. Senate). But if you want to earn the right to complain, you ought to put your money where your mouth is. A multitude of 10 … [Read more...]

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Survey Results: Penry Surges Ahead, 3-Way Struggle in U.S. Senate Primary

Introducing the top-line results from the 2nd edition of the survey of Colorado's political temperature. Exactly 500 people participated in the project. Thanks to those of you who took the time to help out! Coming later in the week will be an analysis of some key crosstabs and correlations. But for now here's a quick rundown of the survey's top-line results: The biggest winner, making significant gains in both support and perceived strength since our July survey, is gubernatorial candidate Josh Penry The larger shifting field of the U.S. Senate race gives a less clear picture, with Ryan Frazier edging out Ken Buck for most support, and Jane Norton beating Frazier by a similarly narrow margin for perceived strength The heavily … [Read more...]