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November 01, 2009 05:24 PM UTC

Tom Wiens' Campaign Kickoff Set For This Week

  • 14 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

CQPolitics reported Friday:

Colorado Republican Tom Wiens has filed the paperwork to make official his 2010 campaign for the Senate.

Wiens, a former state senator, filed a statement of candidacy and a statement of organization on Oct. 27 with the Senate public records office in Washington, D.C. He had previously formed an “exploratory” committee to consider challenging Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.

Wiens told The Colorado Statesman newspaper earlier this month that he would make an official announcement of candidacy in the first week of November. He told the publication that he has a 100-person campaign finance team to help him raise the millions he’ll need for the race.

The newspaper also quoted Wiens’ wife as saying that he’s prepared to put in half a million dollars of their money into the campaign.

Wiens, a rancher and businessman, is entering a crowded Republican primary that includes Jane Norton, a former lieutenant governor who is backed by the Senate GOP leadership, and Ken Buck, a county district attorney who has been campaigning since the spring.

Meanwhile, Jane Norton has been touring the state–last week on the Western Slope (a couple of stops cancelled by bad weather in Denver), this week starting her tour of the Eastern Plains.

Weld County DA Ken Buck is still out there too, he’s been visiting local party offices and generally trying to keep his name in the game where he can. Honestly we don’t know how much longer Buck has in this race as a viable candidate, Tom Wiens is here to capture the “Anyone But Jane” contingent and we expect he will quickly establish himself at Buck’s expense.

Buck isn’t a bad guy but he never caught fire in this race, even as the GOP base recoiled at the prospect of K Street shoving Norton down their throats and Ryan Frazier was punked out of her way Wayne Wolf–style. Sources say there were lingering concerns among Republican activists about Buck’s ‘core conservative values,’ based on (among other things) his recent prosecution of the high-profile murder of a transsexual woman as a hate crime.

Wiens doesn’t have any such ‘baggage,’ he’ll be solid on the conservative slate of issues and better able to articulate them than “Languid Jane” Norton–and you know what? Spending all that money ‘publicizing’ the Leadville mine drainage ‘crisis’ last year makes a lot more sense now, doesn’t it?

On the other hand, there had long been rumors that Wiens was not doing well financially, so we’ll believe the self-funding claims when we see the coin in the bank.

As our next Big Line update will reflect, Wiens, if he does everything right, might turn out to be the reason Norton is always nervously checking her rear-view mirror.

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14 thoughts on “Tom Wiens’ Campaign Kickoff Set For This Week”

  1. I think a robust contested primary is exactly what the GOP needs – both for the Senate & Gov races. The primary is where the GOP will discuss what they want their party to be.

    Buck/Norton/Wiens can be a closely contested race. And dropping a bunch of your own money into a race usually (not always as Jared showed) results in a loss. So I wouldn’t count Buck out yet, nor say that Wiens will definitely be competitive.

    So welcome to the race Tom – and get ready for the fight of your life.

      1. with catchy phrases like “Both Ways Bob” is something they’d probably really like to avoid this time. That’s one of the McInnis excuses for not debating in the gubernatorial primary race.  Bet there won’t be any photos featuring any candidates and the business end of a horse either.

    1. I think many people have underestimated the dissatisfaction among Republican activists with Norton. If they solidify behind a candidate who they can brand with their “I’m a real Republican, not like that RINO Jane Norton” message, and really hit her on things like Ref C and D, then they might be able to steal the crown away.

      Weins, or Buck more likely IMO, could definitely fill that role.

      I’ve been watching Republicans on political television programs trying to sell this notion that they’ve wised up, but I don’t buy it. They’re just as much into ideological purity as they’ve always been, and no group of Republicans represent that better than the Tea Party AttendeesTM (politically correct for all those sensitive Republicans out there).

    2. Are they in tune with the “purge Scozzafava” types?  Or are they more apt to vote for the candidate most likely to win in the general?  I have no read on local Repubs at the moment.

          1. and was appointed to the JBC by Mike May, another leader in the state GOP. He’s not on the fringe, David, he’s the mainstream of the Colorado Republican Party.

              1.  everyone in the GOP is also the narrator of a creepy Douglas County robo call about Obama’s radical education agenda and turning kids into prostitutes or something.

                Stop messin’ with David’s contention that, when you get right down to it, most everyone’s a reasonable, porch-sittin’ moderate.

                1. is the home of Dooffenschmirtz, not the GOP

                  Although some of his and their comments sound about as nuts. Same is probably true of the less thoughtful D’s.

                  The question isn’t whether there are informed, practical, R’s with reasonable ideas for the state. (or community, nation) There are.

                  The question is whether this flavor of R can get elected or whether they will be litmus-tested right out of any chance to be nominated, let alone winning.  

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