July 16, 2010 06:21 PM UTC

Bipartisan Groans At Prospect of Benson Candidacy

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• by: Colorado Pols

As discussion begins to move away from whether or not plagiarism-tainted GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis can survive the present scandal (consensus: he can’t), several names are circulating as possible replacements for McInnis on either the primary or general election ballots–depending on what legal strategy GOP leadership ultimately chooses to pursue.

One of the names that has come up early and relatively often in these discussions is 1994 Republican gubernatorial candidate and University of Colorado President Bruce Benson. Benson, as the argument goes, has experience with a campaign at this level, has name recognition and a good deal of respect from moderates (and even some Democrats)–and, above all, has the kind of personal wealth necessary to make up for what would be a massive fundraising deficit to Democratic nominee John Hickenlooper.

So those are the positives for a Benson candidacy. The negatives? Well, for starters, Benson lost that 1994 election by a considerable margin, with conservative minor-party candidates pulling more than their usual share of the vote. Benson, furthermore, was one of the main proponents of 2005’s Referendum C, which, as you know, is the kiss of death in many Republican circles. It would take about fifteen minutes for the Republican rank-and-file to realize this, after which you’d see enthusiasm for Benson drop like a stone.

As for Benson’s performance as President of CU? Not much to speak of so far–Benson was hired primarily on the strength of his ability to raise private funds, and fight for CU’s fair share in the legislature; but since he took over, a combination of economic pain among would-be private donors and severe cutbacks from the state has left him very little success to point to. What’s more, we have heard from friends with ties to the University of Colorado that Benson’s “focus” on political ideological matters at CU, something he reportedly talks about quite frequently even in unrelated settings, has kept tensions in some academic departments escalated.

In short, Benson has negatives that would impact his ability to court either the Republican or Democratic base. His performance as CU President has not lived up to billing, and his last foray into electoral politics was a humiliating defeat. Most importantly, the Republican candidate for governor will not be expected to win at this point, and would be selected to help prop up the ticket–is serving as little more than a cheerleader for three months really what Benson wants to do?

With this in mind, and especially given Benson’s promises to CU to give up politics and focus on the institution’s needs if they gave him the presidency, to abandon CU for the first political opportunity that presents itself would be a grave mistake, and a stain on Benson’s legacy. For all these reasons, we just don’t think he’s the one.