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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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R.I.P. Patrick Swayze, Defender of Colorado from the Red Army Invasion

News came down this evening that Patrick Swayze succumbed to his battle with pancreatic cancer and died at the age of 57. We Coloradans especially can be grateful for his heroic vigilante service in the early years of World War Three. The 30-something high schooler and his brave band just may have provided the morale needed to ultimately turn the tide in our favor. Then again, the Red Army's decision to dedicate so much resources to taking over a rural town and school may have factored in somewhere as well: … [Read more...]

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5280, Meet Denver Post (and PPC, Too)

Trying to build on Lefty hitman David Sirota's smear that the anti-Obama Care movement is characterized by "racist undertones" leading to rampant death threats, the 5280 blog recounts:He isn’t the only public figure in Colorado to be threatened for digging into the intricacies of the health care debate. Last month, Congressman John Salazar received a death threat during a protest in Grand Junction, leading his office to contact Capitol police and the FBI, according to The Pueblo Chieftain. Umm, does 5280 not read the Denver Post? … [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...]

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The Incoherence of Obama Care

When Wolf Blitzer from liberal CNN grasps the simple concept of health care competition and deregulation and White House adviser trips all over himself trying to explain how up is down, isn't it clear that Obama Care is incoherent? And isn't it obvious why the President's program to add more political controls to medicine is encountering such loud and widespread opposition? (H/T Michelle Malkin) … [Read more...]

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“Rasmussen is a heck of a bigger deal than Ben DeGrow”

Westword blogger Michael Roberts reports on the results of our survey of Colorado's political temperature released yesterday. The flattering comparison that titles the post, which comes from Scott McInnis for Governor spokesman Sean Duffy, now adorns my "Who Writes This Blog?" page. After all, fame is fleeting.... For the latest and greatest comprehensive polling data out there, check out Rasmussen Reports. … [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...]