Wayne Wolf Tours West Slope

by: Colorado Pols

Fri Sep 21, 2007 at 08:54:06 AM MDT

Delta County Commissioner Wayne Wolf is making a run at the U.S. Senate. He's seeking the Republican nomination for the Senate seat vacated by retiring Senator Wayne Allard.

Wolf began his ambitious campaign with plans to visit every town in Colorado that hosts a newspaper.

"I thought it would be neat if I could do all the towns in Colorado," he said on Wednesday, Sept. 12, in Rifle, his third stop of the day in western Colorado towns.

"I am going to be representative of the whole state, so this is a good way to get to know the state," he said.

He started his campaign that Wednesday morning in Delta announcing his intention to run. He then set out on the road with stops in Montrose, Grand Junction and Rifle, ending his first day in Craig. One week later, on Sept. 19, Wolf rolled into Glenwood Springs to attend a Republican meeting at Buffalo Valley Inn...

He wants to be the connection between Washington and rural Colorado like Garfield County.

"You need to respect the local process," Wolf said. "Disregarding the public process is running contrary to what (Senators) are elected to do."

More on Wolf's campaign kickoff tour in today's Durango Herald.

We don't see Wolf winning a Republican primary, but this town-by-town approach he is taking could prove fruitful. Bob Schaffer is being touted by the press as the "establishment candidate," and he can't be that loved by Republicans given his drubbing by Pete Coors in 2004.

Wolf won't have the money to compete with Schaffer, but if he creates some sort of grassroots uprising by campaigning personally while Schaffer is holed up raising money, he could force Schaffer to get away from the phones a little and start campaigning sooner than he would like. Win or (more likely) lose, Wolf may yet change the dynamics of this race.