From Politics West:
Former Congressman Bob Beauprez will not run for the U.S. Senate, he said in an email to supporters this afternoon.
“Having been presented with the potential to serve in the United States Senate, Claudia and I considered it very carefully. However after significant reflection, I will not be a candidate for the Senate in 2010,” he wrote.
His decision leaves four GOP candidates: Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier, Evergreen businessman Dan Maes and Cleve Tidwell of Denver. Last week, the Denver Post reported that former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton is also looking at entering the GOP field.
Let’s face it: Beauprez isn’t running because he looked around, considered various staffers, and finally realized what we’d been saying for a long time. He. Can’t. Win.
It’s no secret that Beauprez has been wanting to get back into politics since 2006, but he’s still way too much damaged goods.
Meanwhile, Jane Norton’s Senate bid is basically a lock at this point. Everybody’s talking about it. Democrats we’ve talked to this evening seem awfully confident, like they know something we don’t know. That’s likely to be the case for a majority of Colorado voters, a good percentage of whom probably think her first name is Gale. Though to be fair, voters could think her first name was “Ken,” and it’s still a positive for her. Name ID is name ID, especially in a GOP primary–and general election–where nobody knows anybody.
And for all the buzz about “salvation,” we kind of doubt Ken Buck sees it that way–and he’s probably the one extant candidate we’re not writing off yet.
UPDATE: We omitted Cleve Tidwell from our original post. We regret the error. Deeply.
“Exxxxxcellent. Everything is going according to plan. Mwah hah hah hah….”
He’s getting it done. Jane Norton may sound promising, but then we have to see if she’s willing to put in the effort. And if so, how well she does it.
Buck has been better than Frazier, but that and a nickel will give him a nickel.
We’ll say this: Buck is definitely doing everything he needs to be doing. The problem for him is that his best effort isn’t likely to be near good enough to win this race. Buck’s ceiling just isn’t that high.
Isn’t that what they’re supposed to be doing right now?
I’m just spit balling here, but that would seem to be a bad move this far into his effort.
He’s built so much momentum and name recognition that switching now would seem risky.
Better would be to just change his name …. perhaps something liKe Jon Elweigh, or Barock Obaamuh
or something.
Sure, it’s not legal, but we’d let it slide just for fun.
Perhaps someone with a lot of free time could just change his or her name to Don Maze and run for the Senate.
Though I still think Jon Elweigh would run strong.
Which basically makes him an illegal alien and he should be deported from the state immediately.
He’s John Elway – as long as his new girl ain’t wearing a Raider Nation ballcap, then he’s fine
That said…. just had good family friends visit town for an extended period…. when Elway’s name randomly came up, they thought we were talking about a restauranteur
One of them literally said, “John Elway was a football player too???”
Not unlike 2006 when people voted for Fern O’Brien because they thought she was the O’Brien on the Ritter/O’Brien signs.
She could actually have won that race. Perish the thought.
ran.
He ran against some guy named Ryan (not Dan) and the one prior governor was also a guy named Ryan who was indicted.
Now- plenty of guys in illinois have been indicted and run for office anyway and it hasn’t always hurt. But this time there were two different Ryans and the wrong one got KO’d.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I…
if people hadn’t thought it was his father come back to take revenge on Clinton.
If George Clinton ran in the Democratic Presidential primary, I wonder how well he’d do…
and a very strong candidate for Senate, you can try and spin it however you want, Pols. But the reality is the Dems are extremely nervous. And they should be. Norton is better than 50-50 to take out Bennet.
I needed a good laugh and you just gave me a great one.
Jane Norton can raise incredible amounts of cash. She’s very smart, and infinitely more charismatic than Bennet.
If unemployment is above 10% nationally in the summer of 2010 (a good chance of that), Bennet’s toast. So’s Ritter.
You do Jane a disservice using her first name- it distinguishes her from Gale.
I encourage her to raise all the cash she can. I encourage her to engage and run hard. No one who knows her expects less but hardly anyone knows her.
That, of course, will change over the campaign.
Bennet has the same problem, except he’s the incumbent and people mostly hate change. Bennet also will have a track record of federal legislation. You think it will hurt him because you think he’s in the minority. Or will be. Well, good luck with that.
If Jane has ever implied she’s anything but anti abortion, anti gay marriage, anti REf C, anti water storage, or anti other R pet positions, she’s toast. Your party has made it so.
Yes to Obamacare
Yes to Card Check/Forced Arbitration
Yes to Cap and Trade
He doesn’t have the stones to make those final votes. Besides, the business elites that back him would go freaking bat shit Scanner crazy.
Six to nine at most.
I think if/when the President passes health insurance reform, cap and trade and some kind of labor bill (card check is doubtful) Bennet is in.
If not- he’s got a tough sell.
But we do want to see her really start running. Norton has been floated as a potential candidate for 10 years.
And she even was one — or half of one — once in those 10 years!
Pols is littered with the skeletons of righties predicting great Republican victories here. They were all before you came along, so maybe you’ve not stumbled across Dr. Dobson Has Godlike Qualities, Moonraker, Ruthie, and many others now in the bone yard.
I’m not saying Bennett is a shoo-in, but something about chickens and counting them.
As a potential statewide candidate and a former State House candidate that has been running around to Republican events – my take –
Ryan Frazier, if he keeps it up, will run away with this nomination.
As of now, many Republican money-guys are in a tug-of-war – no one knows who to fund. Yes, Buck has an early lead in fundraising, but not a substantially huge amount.
It needs to be considered that Frazier has won every straw poll, except for Larimer, where he almost beat Buck in his own home district. If anything, Frazier’s campaign team (take this as constructive feedback) needs to do a BETTER job of highlighting Frazier’s military service – with wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, Frazier is a natural choice, being that Buck has never served – it is this same point that Coffman beat Armstrong with in CD6.
Frazier has the stronger resume (small business owner, military service, charter school founder), the better speeches, and the better energy. He has been everywhere and he’s building a following – don’t let the money figures blind you – Frazier’s travels are paying off.
Although she was Lt Governor, Norton is not well known amongst the primary voters. In addition, I feel Norton could have done more to build our Party. My apologies for criticizing fellow Republicans, but the reason why Schaffer and Beauprez walk on water with Republican voters is because they have done so much to build the party through organizations like LPR. I guarantee you this – talk to any Republican who is a State Senator, State Rep, County Commissioner, etc…. I will give it a 70% chance that ‘said’ candidate was, at one point, mentored to some degree by either Beauprez or Schaffer – such hard work and mentoring creates a TON of goodwill in our Party and Norton, although very intelligent and great in her character, does not have that goodwill with current Republican primary voters and it is too late now to build it in time for 2010.
Does Frazier have it either? Technically, no… however, no one has been to more cities and counties than Frazier and his straw poll victories prove such fact.
From my POV, Frazier’s team needs to work out some minor kinks – otherwise, they’re in the driver’s seat and they can take this primary.
PS – RedStateBlues – you were right, I was wrong – nonetheless, I didn’t bet (so much for $25 to Steve Harvey – but good luck Steve!)
When he first announced I was communicating regularly with his campaign. And then boom – they went dark. Have been silent for months. Then his fundraising numbers came out and they matched my experience – they had all gone on vacation or something.
Well, at least I get to tell you I told you so MAH.
Indeed!
How’d ya like that Rockies grand slam last night?
Can’t wait to smash the Dodgers!
Are you serious?
It’s not because of their social conservative stances – Schaffer and Beauprez (especially Schaffer) have done the most to build the current Party
But you actually believe they are popular with the rank and file? First, the Beer Baron kicked Schaffer’s butt in the Senate primary in ’04. Of course, Schaffer had an easier time winning the nomination last year once Dick Wadhams invoke the field clearing rule and got Wayne Wolfe to abandon his challenge to Schaffer.
As for Both Ways, I don’t know what would have happened if Holtzy had qualified for a primary in ’06. B.W.B. may indeed have won such a primary, but I can’t imagine many Repubs in ’09 still hold him in very high regard.
If they did, they would have reacted enthusiastically to talk of him running against Bennet. Instead, they flocked to Jane Norton.
However, Schaffer has done a lot since that 2004 primary – so it’s unfair to use the primary against Coors as a best example of his level in the Party
yes – Beauprez lost a lot of support over his treatment of Holtzman and that did build tremendous ‘bad’ will – he should have just let the primary happen
that said – there hasn’t been much new leadership since our Bob’s
Is a train-wreck. What, exactly, did Schaffer and Beauprez build?
…the entire Republican Party, nationwide, is in a major rebuilding process
That said – Colorado Republicans would be in terrible shape right now without Beauprez and Schaffer – those two have held us together and done the most to create some forms of unified bonds between Party activists
puts up another fine ‘leader’ like BWB and BOB. Go GOP! Rebuild the party be pushing out all the moderates, capitulating to the deathers, birthers, proud right wing terrorists and other fine folks. Go team go!
I thought the same, until the numbers came out and it looks like he has less people, more enthusastic support.
If he can communicate well, go everywhere, do everything and double his numbers at least next time (or beat Buck) then he can win.
Remember, nothing’s for certain because the convention with have a bazillion candidates and anything can happen in five minutes.
Just depends who does the most amazing speech.
I’m planning a more public endorsement, but yes, I’m
supporting Ryan Frazier and proud of my decision – he’ll be winning our nomination
Wow, I had no idea that facing Wiens would be such an intimidating experience.
Yes she was Lt. Gov with Owens but that role is more one of marketing collateral for the governor than actually running yourself. Has she every run for an office where people were voting for her?
After the past year’s palinization of the GOP, has she sufficiently established her batshit crazy bona fides?
when her first husband decided to leave office early and pursue other interests. She was offered the nomination for the next term but turned it down. She was urged to run for governor at the end of Gov. Owens second term but again turned down the opportunity. My prediction is she will stick her toe in the water and then won’t run.
If I’m wrong and she does run, she will be a candidate who represents the far right social conservatives and one of her goals will be to maintain their control of the the Colorado Republican Party. She certainly isn’t a breath of fresh air. She represents another Republican candidate who is willing to drive right off the cliff.
No.
In that case I think her potential is a giant question mark as we don’t know if she can run a good campaign and if she’s will to do what it takes to run a good campaign.
n/t