April 10, 2006 08:00 AM UTC

Beauprez May Take His Ball and Go Home

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• by: Colorado Pols

According to the Rocky Mountain News, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez didn’t like being attacked in?recent debates by GOP opponent Marc Holtzman, so he may just not play anymore:

Marc Holtzman’s attacks on U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez during two recent debates have caused Beauprez to re-evaluate whether he will debate Holtzman again, a sign of growing bitterness between the rivals for the Republican nomination for governor.

A belligerent Holtzman took aim at Beauprez at the end of a recent debate in Grand Junction, saying he supported big spending by Congress and has waffled on the illegal immigration issue. Holtzman launched his broadside at the very end of the debate. With no opportunity to reply, Beauprez could only stare at him.

“It would be useful to the voters if Marc wanted to talk about the issues, but he’s now proven he’s incapable of civil debate,” said John Marshall, a spokesman for Beauprez. “He’s more interested in calling names. Holtzman is desperate for attention.”

Marshall said the campaign will forgo any future debates unless Holtzman changes his attitude. When told that the Beauprez campaign may refuse to debate, Holtzman spokesman Dick Leggitt said he wasn’t surprised. “We just kicked his butt,” said Leggitt. “Every time we have a debate, he talks about milking cows and all this pap, and we talk about the issues.”…

?…Colorado State University political scientist John Straayer said Beauprez could open himself up to criticism by not debating. “They’ll say he’s afraid to debate and is not willing to inform the public of his views,” said Straayer, but added that Beauprez also would be criticized if he changes his mind and starts debating again. He’ll get criticized yet again as ‘Both Ways Bob’ if he gets out of debating and then jumps back in,” he said.

Loevy thinks the vitriolic Republican primary is becoming a textbook example of the dangers of intraparty squabbles, with the Republicans running the risk of seeing their nominee savaged in the primary and turning off voters before the November general election.

“We see now why the national parties try so hard to eliminate hard- fought primaries for major offices,” he said.

Not debating Holtzman might have been a good strategy in the beginning of the campaign, but to have already engaged in debates and then decide not to do it anymore is only going to look bad for Beauprez. As Colorado College professor Bob Loevy says?in the story, “the fact that you won’t debate becomes a story in itself.” Not to mention that it just makes Beauprez look like a sore loser; the general public doesn’t know who won these debates, but if you back out now, you give the impression that you were getting hammered and didn’t want to do it anymore.?