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Colorado Republican State Assembly: Review of Winners and Losers

Today was the Colorado Republican State Assembly, and a lot of first-time delegates filled the floor and the seats. Energy and enthusiasm clearly were higher than I've seen in the past few election cycles. I spent much of my time today conducting more than two dozen videotaped interviews of officials, candidates and delegates for the People's Press Collective (check back later for the video). The balloting results already have been posted by El Presidente, Lynn Bartels and Don Johnson. So in the meantime, before the videos go up (as well as a few photos I snapped), I'll share my list of winners and losers from this weekend's festivities, based on my personal assessment: … [Read more...]

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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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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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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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Lexington and Concord, 235 Years Later

While a certain Democratic ex-President has been trying to exploit the memory of today's terrible 15th anniversary to take a political cheap shot at millions of Americans, I prefer to commemorate a different anniversary. Two hundred thirty-five years ago today, American patriots at Lexington and Concord ignited the cause of liberty on American shores. What was nearly unthinkable on April 19, 1775 -- a ragtag band of Patriot colonists winning the hearts and minds of many countrymen, the support of the French crown and securing independence from Britain -- eventually came to pass. But the heroism of the farmers and craftsmen in small Massachusetts towns who stood tall against General Thomas Gage's Redcoats, including of the dozens who … [Read more...]