Update: I forgot to mention Fort Collins city councilman Diggs Brown as another candidate being touted to run as a Republican in the 4th CD. Thanks to Night Twister for the reminder. Will Republicans have an interesting primary in Colorado's 4th Congressional District? Who knows, but it won't be for lack of trying. Names like Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck and State Representative Cory Gardner (Yuma) have been floated as leading contenders to take on newly-elected Betsy Markey. But CU Regent Tom Lucero yesterday released the names of his policy advisors and finance team. The list of campaign advisors and fundraisers features some notable and influential names, including business leader Steve Schuck as well as leading radio … [Read more...]
He Wasn’t Their First Choice, But Wadhams and Hillman Both Pleased with Michael Steele as RNC Chair
Not exactly breaking news: former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael Steele is the new chairman of the Republican National Committee. Polipundit has a blow-by-blow account of the six rounds (and five hours) of yesterday's balloting to achieve a majority of support from the 168 delegates. Five candidates started the day. At the end it came down to Steele and South Carolina's Katon Dawson. Steele prevailed by a count of 91-77. I followed up with two of Colorado's three voting RNC members afterward to get their thoughts, and received very similar reactions to the results. "Michael Steele will be a great spokesperson for our party," said state GOP chairman Dick Wadhams. "Michael Steele is one of the Republican Party's most articulate … [Read more...]
If Michael Bennet Alienates Hispanics, What Should GOP Take Away?
The former career .230 American League hitter who runs in Denver's liberal circles shares an interesting observation about Governor Bill Ritter's newly-appointed Senator:I've now heard the same concern raised about Michael Bennet by three different Denver political insiders. Namely, can he win the support of Hispanics in Denver? I'd say the growing conventional wisdom amongst some Bennet pessimists is that he stands little chance of wooing the Latino vote after his tenure at DPS. Not sure how much stock to put in this assessment. But if Republicans are paying attention and see an opportunity to win some more Hispanic votes (and ultimately a U.S. Senate seat) in 2010, Tom Tancredo most likely isn't the guy to carry the party banner. The … [Read more...]
Self-Delusion or Subtlety Behind Bill Ritter’s Assessment of Michael Bennet?
As we chatted about on last night's Blog Talk Radio program, the fallout from Bill Ritter's appointment of Michael Bennet to the U.S. Senate continues. Liberal angst on behalf of the spurned former House Speaker Andrew Romanoff continues to grow. The latest is Susan Barnes-Gelt's column "What Was Ritter Thinking?" in the Denver Post:Bennet's decade-plus resume, elite pedigree and acute intelligence may confer gravitas-lite. However, his utter lack of legislative experience, political/elected bona fides and thorough knowledge of the state, its issues and character cast doubt on the governor's judgment. What does it say about our state's chief executive that he passed over an equally young, talented, out-of-the-box reformer who boasts an … [Read more...]
Clearing Up the Facts about Sarah Palin’s Record (for Slow-Learning Commenters)
Since I have several commenters here who insist upon trafficking in rumor and innuendo about Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, I feel impelled to post a couple useful links: - FactCheck.org: "Sliming Palin" - Pajamas Media: "Separating Palin Fact from Palin Fiction" And yes, I know that Sarah Palin didn't always oppose the "Bridge to Nowhere" and did accept earmarked federal funds years ago as Wasilla mayor, though she ended up strongly (and has remained) on the right side of the issue. Alaskans have taken for granted that Palin is responsible for killing the "Bridge to "Nowhere" (until very recently, even the Alaska Democratic Party even acknowledged as much on their website). Besides, do Barack Obama and Joe … [Read more...]