It's time for Colorado Republicans to put the bungling behind them and unite behind Bob Beauprez. Holtzman came up 743 signatures short (despite the Denver Post's faulty math) - though there's sure to be a recount in the coming days. The Secretary of State certifies the primary ballot by next Friday. What do I mean by "bungling"? First and most obvious, the Holtzman campaign's ground game. Expecting more than 40% at the State Assembly, they were shocked to find out they only got 28% and didn't make the ballot that way. More recently, Holtzman's team turned in 21,000 petition signatures but had a high rate of rejection. It would appear the names or signatures were not given careful scrutiny - a big no-no. Second, and to a lesser … [Read more...]

What else can I say about the deal Owens made with Democrat legislators to close the immigration session? It's bad news for the good guys. Of course, the trouble began when former governor Dick Lamm remembered which party he belongs to and pulled his support from the Defend Colorado Now initiative and cut his own backroom deal with fellow Democrat and erstwhile immigration opponent Federico Pena. Still, Owens held the high cards and had the authority and clout to limit the special legislative session to the narrow matter of addressing the Colorado Supreme Court's judicial activism. Instead of keeping the lid on things and making sure that legislators simply voted up-or-down to refer the Defend Colorado Now initiative to the voters … [Read more...]

Fellow RMAer Michael writes: The [Holtzman] campaign always seemed a bit . . .Quixotic . . . in nature. Marc has never held elected office, and other than among D.U. alums, is not exactly a household name in Colorado. And while there is a certain charm to the underdog, there is also something sad about refusing to notice reality, and something potentially very harmful to continuing this campaign. However, I still believe Marc Holtzman has a lot to offer Colorado. He should start working within the Party to implement some of his ideas about youth movement, and to fundraise and oherwise assist GOP candidates to take back the state legislature, which could do a lot to move his fiscal ideas forward. He could build his name and reputation, … [Read more...]

Slapstick Politics has the lowdown on the ineffectual results of the recent state special legislative session. Republicans have a steep climb to face if they are going to turn immigration and/or judicial activism into winning issues. How about another issue to latch onto: maybe, private property rights vs. eminent domain? Or one of my perpetual favorites ... education reform. … [Read more...]

Last fall Colorado Democrats supporting Referendum C poo-poohed the notion that they were attempting to grow the size of state government, just restore some pre-recession cuts. Yet as April Washington reports in today's Rocky Mountain News, with Democrats in charge in both houses at the State Capitol, state government payroll has added more than 1,000 jobs since the beginning of 2006. Both Republican candidates for governor have the right idea: hold Ref C supporters to their word and refund any additional revenue raised above the amount forecasted to be raised by the voter-approved mandate. For Marc Holtzman, it's the $3.1 billion figure originally released by the Legislative Council in 2005. For Bob Beauprez, it's the revised $3.7 … [Read more...]