November 09, 2017 12:15 PM UTC

Brauchler Builds "Suspense" For Inevitable Gov Race Exit

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• by: Colorado Pols

CBS4 keeps up the George Brauchler death watch, after word spread yesterday that the flagging GOP candidate for governor is considering a “switch” to the attorney general’s race after failing to thrive in the gubernatorial race:

It seems while the race for governor in Colorado is growing, one Republican candidate may be dropping out.

Sources close to the gubernatorial campaign of 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler told CBS4 Political Specialist Shaun Boyd that he is leaving the race…

It is unclear when Brauchler will make the formal announcement.

Interestingly, this brief story makes no mention of Brauchler’s possible bid for attorney general, only that he is likely to exit the gubernatorial race. As we said yesterday, the mere fact that this possibility of switching races was disclosed makes it basically impossible for Brauchler to remain in the gubernatorial race. On the other hand, “stepping down” to run for attorney general isn’t a very auspicious way to mount a campaign for attorney general, either. We’re not privy to the internal decisionmaking guiding Brauchler’s “campaign,” which is now without a campaign manager–but this is all being handled very, very poorly from a public relations perspective. It’s not a situation that inspires confidence in Brauchler as a candidate for, well, anything.

It’s a remarkable turn of events for a man hailed in late July as the “frontrunner” in the GOP gubernatorial primary after he won the straw poll at the Western Conservative Summit. Today Brauchler’s campaign for governor is on the edge of ending with a whimper, not a bang, and any forthcoming step down to the “consolation prize” of running for AG is tainted by his reluctant embrace of that campaign.

This is the stuff early retirements from electoral politics are made of.