October 26, 2006 12:45 AM UTC

Traylor Won't Back Kopp; Beauprez Gets Involved

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Rocky Mountain News today reports that Republican Kiki Traylor, who lost her primary bid in SD-22 to Mike Kopp, will not endorse Kopp because of his campaign tactics in the primary:

Outgoing state Sen. Kiki Traylor won’t endorse the Republican who beat her in their rough-and-tough primary because she says his supporters lied about her record.
Traylor said Tuesday that GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez asked her recently to endorse Mike Kopp, and she told him “no.”

“It would mean that I have no integrity,” Traylor said. “Endorsing Mike means endorsing his campaign and his supporters, and I can’t endorse the way those people campaign.”

Kopp could not be reached for comment, but he has said that attacks on Traylor did not come from his campaign. Traylor’s decision normally would have little impact on the race because Senate District 22 in Jefferson County is heavily Republican. But this is not a normal year.

Pollsters say unaffiliated voters are overwhelmingly backing Democratic candidates, giving Kopp’s opponent, Paula Noonan, a Jefferson County businesswoman, a shot in the race.

“I am staying neutral, but I know that (Noonan) has been contacting a lot of my supporters,” Traylor said. “She is going for unaffiliated voters and Republican women. The Republican women I talk to do not believe that Mike Kopp represents them.”

Traylor isn’t the only Republican who won’t back Kopp. As Colorado Confidential reports, other Republican groups are staying away from him because he just refuses to respond to them.

It’s also interesting to note that Republican Bob Beauprez tried to bring Traylor and Kopp together in hopes of making peace between the two. Surely the message sounded heartfelt coming from someone who refused to make peace with his primary opponent