April 23, 2010 06:00 PM UTC

Colorado Political Draft: The Sleeper Picks

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• by: Colorado Pols

Yesterday we suggested a scenario for a “Colorado Political Draft,” with the ongoing NFL Draft as inspiration. We gave you our Top Five, and let you suggest your own draft choices.

Today, we’re taking a look at the “Sleeper Picks.” These are the picks that a team makes in the NFL Draft that initially have you scratching your head because you’ve never heard of them; but then the more you think about it, and the more you hear about the player and the rationale, the more you start to really like the selection.

With that in mind, check out our “Sleeper Picks” after the jump. For a refresher on the “guidelines” under which our picks are being made, check out yesterday’s post.

POLITICAL DRAFT: SLEEPER PICKS

1. Don Marostica, Director of Colorado Office of Economic Development (Republican)

This former legislator and Republican member of the Joint Budget Committee appeared to have tired of the GOP’s unwillingness to really work on the state budget in favor of playing pure partisan politics. Marostica was a badly-needed rational and moderate voice in the increasingly far-right Colorado Republican Party, and running him out in favor of strict ideology did them no favors at the statehouse. A wealthy businessman with a real willingness to address Colorado’s problems is exactly what Republicans need right now. If Marostica could make it through a GOP primary, he’d be a tough statewide opponent for any Democrat.

2. Mitch Morrissey, Denver District Attorney (Democrat)

Forget the name for a moment, and first consider the built-in advantages of the position: a) Great name ID because of Denver media, and b) Being in either the military or law enforcement can be a big advantage with voters. Morrissey has those natural advantages, but to another degree because of some of the high-profile cases his office has handled (like putting away cop killer Raul Garcia Gomez) and his national stature as a DNA expert. A “tough-on-crime” Democrat with a base in the most populous part of Colorado? That’s a nice combination.

3. Hank Brown, Former Senator (Republican)

Brown might be too old (he turned 70 this year), but good gravy, check out that resume: Vietnam Veteran, State Senator, Congressman, U.S. Senator, President of University of Northern Colorado, President of University of Colorado. If Brown were 10 years younger, he could probably have any seat he wanted in this state.

4. Will Shafroth, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of Interior (Democrat)

Shafroth, the great-grandson of former Governor John Shafroth, ran a solid campaign in 2008 in the CD-2 Democratic Primary (won by Rep. Jared Polis), showing an ability to raise big money even in a race with two other heavy hitters (Polis and former state Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald). There are a lot of similarities between Shafroth and Sen. Mark Udall, both in terms of old political connections and their appearance/persona as true “Westerners.” Getting out of Boulder to work at the Interior Department helps him shed some “Boulder liberal” labels.

5. Mike Coffman, Congressman (Democrat)

Coffman has a great resume and currently represents a district that includes big portions of Jefferson, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, which would give him a big head start in a statewide race. But the weird thing about Coffman is that he’s not nearly as impressive as the sum of his parts would suggest. An Iraq War veteran, former State Treasurer and former Secretary of State, Coffman should own the Colorado Republican Party today. But Republicans, for whatever reason, have never been all that interested in Coffman; remember, Coffman’s career path always had him ending up as Governor, but he was pushed out of that race in 2005 quicker than a 100-pound Sumo wrestler. In theory, Coffman should be a strong statewide contender. In reality, there’s just something missing — he’d probably be more interesting as a Democrat.