President (To Win Colorado) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Biden*

(R) Donald Trump

80%

20%↓

CO-01 (Denver) See Full Big Line

(D) Diana DeGette*

90%

CO-02 (Boulder-ish) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse*

90%

CO-03 (West & Southern CO) See Full Big Line

(D) Adam Frisch

(R) Jeff Hurd

(R) Ron Hanks

40%

30%

20%

CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado) See Full Big Line

(R) Lauren Boebert

(R) J. Sonnenberg

(R) Ted Harvey

20%↑

15%↑

10%

CO-05 (Colorado Springs) See Full Big Line

(R) Dave Williams

(R) Jeff Crank

(R) Doug Bruce

20%

20%

20%

CO-06 (Aurora) See Full Big Line

(D) Jason Crow*

90%

CO-07 (Jefferson County) See Full Big Line

(D) Brittany Pettersen

85%↑

 

CO-08 (Northern Colo.) See Full Big Line

(D) Yadira Caraveo

(R) Gabe Evans

(R) Janak Joshi

60%↑

40%↑

20%↑

State Senate Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

80%

20%

State House Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

95%

5%

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
February 28, 2013 03:26 PM UTC

Why Can't Republicans Find a 2014 Senate Candidate? (Part 1)

  • 27 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

There are 10 U.S. Senators who were first elected in 2008 and are running for re-election in 2014. Three of those incumbents are in states considered safe for their respective political party (Delaware and New Mexico for Democrats; Idaho for Republicans). Of the remaining seven seats, all but one have a likely or declared opponent and/or recent public polling indicating potential vulnerability.

All but Colorado and Senator Mark Udall.SenatorIndestructible

Colorado's political landscape has changed considerably in the past decade, and few people have had a better view of that landscape than Udall. It's easy to forget that Udall spent the bulk of five terms and nearly ten years in the House of Representatives as one of just two Democrats from Colorado (with Rep. Diana DeGette the other Democrat). When Udall began campaigning for the 2008 Senate seat, Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dick Wadhams was convinced that he needed to do little else but call Udall the "Boulder Liberal" in order for Republicans to maintain control of the seat vacated by the retiring Sen. Wayne Allard; Udall went on to defeat Republican Bob Schaffer by a 10-point margin.

As we approach the 2014 election, Udall is running for re-election in a political climate that probably would have seemed unfathomable when he was first elected to Congress in 1998. Democrats control both chambers of the state legislature, the Governor's mansion, and both U.S. Senate seats…and Republicans appear to have literally no idea who they can put forth to challenge Udall. There is no short list of potential candidates; there is no list at all.

This is a staggering fact when you consider recent history: The last time either political party had this much trouble finding a candidate for Senate or Governor was in 2002, when incumbent Gov. Bill Owens beat Democrat Rollie Heath by 32 points, the greatest margin of victory in the history of that office.

Ten years later, the GOP bench is so noexistent that Republicans aren't even trying to pretend otherwise, as the Denver Post laid bare last weekend. Allison Sherry's article about Republican efforts to find someone, anyone, to run for Senate can be summed up by one contradictory statement by the Chair of the Colorado Republican Party:

"I do think it's fair to say there is a growing sense of urgency to make sure we recruit a strong, credible candidate," said state GOP chairman Ryan Call. "There is no question he's vulnerable."

If there is "no question" that Udall is vulnerable, as Call would have you believe, then why is it so hard for the GOP to find a candidate of any shape or size, let alone someone both "strong" and/or "credible"? You don't need to answer that.

It should not be overlooked that Udall is a formidable candidate in his own right. He is perhaps the most well-known Democrat in Colorado. He has been able to craft an image as a moderate in the Senate, where he serves on the powerful Armed Services Committee and the Energy & Natural Resources committee, which is of particular significance for Colorado voters. And Udall has already built a sizable warchest for 2014 that should scare away all but the most determined of opponents. Yet Colorado has always had relatively strong Senate incumbents, and Udall isn't significantly more intimidating than others in recent memory (okay, except for Wayne Allard).

So why can't Republicans find a candidate for 2014? There are a few reasons — the first part of a series begins after the jump…

"Rising Stars" Stopped Rising

In the mid-oughts there were many Colorado Republicans who at one point or another were labeled "rising stars," but for different reasons they faded away before they could make a significant electoral impact. Congressman Cory Gardner has been labeled the GOP's latest "rising star" since his CD-4 victory in 2010, but that has less to do with his political skill and more to do with circumstance. By way of example, here are a couple of stories of rising stars that rose, sort of:

"Flew Too Close to the Sun on Wings of Pastrami"

This story begins in the early oughts, when Bob Beauprez narrowly defeated Democrat Mike Feeley in 2002 in the newly-created CD. Beauprez was re-elected in 2004 and was already on the powerful Ways & Means Committee when he decided to run for Governor in 2006 rather than hold his seat in Congress. Beauprez would likely have held CD-7 for a few more cycles had he stayed; his rapid rise fed a widely-accepted belief that Beauprez was a powerful incumbent who would be difficult to unseat. Of course, his disastrous campaign for Governor proved the folly of that perception, and many Republicans still blame "Both Ways Bob" for essentially costing them two seats in 2006 (Democrat Ed Perlmutter defeated Republican Rick O'Donnell for the open seat in CD-7 and has been untouchable ever since).

In the last decade, several Republican politicos rose quickly at a young age and flamed out before they found a peak. Josh Penry was perhaps the risingest of the GOP's "rising stars" when in 2006 he became the youngest member of the State Senate. In 2009 Penry launched a brief campaign for Governor, which he abruptly ended after only a few months amid charges of questionable campaign practices and a host of other rumored problems. In April 2010, Jane Norton hired Penry to replace Norm Cummings as her campaign manager for her U.S. Senate campaign. Norton lost a bitter battle to Ken Buck, who accused Penry of running an overly negative campaign. Not only did Penry derail his own career in elected office in the space of a year, he managed to alienate a sizable portion of active Republicans who supported the more conservative Buck.

Other Notable Names:

Ryan Frazier, an African-American Aurora city council member with a military background and a commanding presence behind a microphone. Frazier tried for the GOP Senate nomination in 2009 before changing direction to challenge Perlmutter in CD-7, where he was completely dismantled by the more experienced incumbent despite the 2010 Tea Party wave. Less than a year later Frazier ran for Mayor of Aurora and was once again pummeled at the polls, this time by Republican Steve Hogan. Losing two high-profile races in as many years is bad enough, but Frazier wasn't even competitive at the end.

Former state legislator Matt Knoedler was another "rising star" who pushed (or was shoved) into the wrong race at the wrong time. Knoedler could have run for re-election to the State House a few more times, but instead decided to challenge Lakewood Democrat Betty Boyd in a special election for the State Senate in 2006. Knoedler lost, and shortly therafter turned his attention to a full-time legal career.

Republican Rob Witwer's exit from elected office is a different tale. In 2005, Witwer won a vacancy committee appointment to replace his father (John Witwer) in the legislature. He was elected to a full term in 2006, but declined to run for re-election in 2008 for family reasons.

Coming Soon: Part 2, "Whose Party?"

*THIS IS PART 1 OF A SERIES EXPLORING COLORADO REPUBLICAN EFFORTS (AND FAILURES) TO FIND A STRONG AND/OR CREDIBLE CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATE IN 2014

Comments

27 thoughts on “Why Can’t Republicans Find a 2014 Senate Candidate? (Part 1)

        1. Whether or not you trust our "sources" is irrelevant to this argument. The problem for Republicans is that there aren't a bunch of strong GOP candidates at all, regardless of their political aspirations.

          1. I think it's more than that. I think Colorado is a leading indicator of how bad the GOP brand has been trashed. It's not that all the big names on the [R] side are bad, it's that what is required to be a big name on the [R] side means you can't win state-side.

            I think the '14 election is going to be very interesting. Because we may see a number of additional states where the election shows that the state has swung into the solid Dem category.

            1. The Republican brand is simple. My God is The God and he hates gays. Also we love guns,even though we have a fundamental misunderstanding of the second ammendment. We don't realize it neither allows nor forbids a civilian the right to own guns.

               

              Also, Republican campaigns are so technologically challenged compared to Democrats. Mitt Romney's GOTV program crashed on election day suppressing untold Republican votes. Even when their tech organization is at its peak it isn't quite ready for the major leagues.

        2. I hear Greg Walcher is looking for another job, and EIS Solutions cannot be too happy with Mr. Penry's botched Astroturf operation.  How about the horse's ass…?

    1. It is the Rs that find him Incredible. None willing to stick their neck out. Yet. Jane Norton may take another shot. Maybe Tancredo. Or they could get Mr Wonderful, the guy that ran for Senate against Barack Obama.

    2. In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. In a state where Republican candidates keep falling short of expectations, Udall is a comparative demigod.

      Last I checked, Sen. Udall in reality was a bit closer to a hoopy frood who knows where his towel is than to Mr. Incredible, but as far as this race goes, see the picture above.

    3. Dullest most ineffective troll ever. ArapG implies Udall isn't incredible.  Oooooo! Yeah, that a ought to get people all riled up. Yawn. 

      Darlin', I think you need a resfresher course in trolling 101. STAT.

    1. Please, oh please, let it be the capitator.

      My sense is that a race between Udall and the one even boyles called "the jock sniffer" would be the most watched and handicapped, followed and scrutinized, in the '14 election.

      caplis is a lightning rod. His views on religion, womens' sexuality, choice, President Obama, and his tendency to be all out pro austerity (unless the republicans are in charge……then deficits don't matter) are legendary.

      He's wicked mean, a total ego maniac. An expert on all topics, even those he knows nothing about. His penchant for being the center of attention, a love of the camera, and a need to be in the news all drive him to do and say things the media eats up………..usually bad. Allways over the top.

      This would be a repeat of the Patrick Murphy-Allen West Congressional Race. Caplis is as good for a nuts quote, an attack, an outrageous accusation, as West was, but he's even meaner of spirit.

      It would be a great race to volunteer for, easy to do opposition research for, as you've got YEARS of caplis gaffes to sift through. I'd love to work that campaign. Udall allways scares me, I never know when he'll let me down, but I'd jump on that one.

    1. I don't think Owens could make it through a GOP primary anymore but not because of scandals. More because,  by today's GOP standards, he's practically a communist.

  1. After over a decade of driving away moderate R's, the so called party has no one electable.  They can't even win the statehouse. At some point a publican party will be formed, mainly as a way of being seen as populist by serving free beer in lesbian bars.

Leave a Comment

Recent Comments


Posts about

Donald Trump
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Lauren Boebert
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Yadira Caraveo
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado House
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado Senate
SEE MORE

165 readers online now

Newsletter

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!