October 22, 2020 08:05 AM UTC

Weird Unless It Ain't: GarCo Commishes Asterisk Boebert Support

• 3 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

An interesting twist in the hotly competitive CD-3 race between Democratic candidate Diane Mitsch Bush and upstart GOP candidate Lauren Boebert, brought to our attention in an otherwise innocuous campaign trail story from veteran reporter John Stroud at the Glenwood Springs Post-Independent:

Endorsements and words of support are coming in for Third District Congressional candidates Democrat Diane Mitsch Bush and Republican Lauren Boebert, including a notable break from party ranks.

Former Speaker of the Colorado House Russ George, a Rifle native who also directed two state departments under both Republican and Democratic governors, said this week he endorses Mitsch Bush over his party’s nominee to represent the region in Congress…

Support for Boebert from [Garfield County commissioners John Martin and Mike Samson] comes despite run-ins earlier this year with the Garfield County Public Health Department over coronavirus-related violations at her Shooters Grill restaurant in Rifle.

But sometime after this story was published on October 9, it was corrected to include this interesting note:

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story reported that two Garfield County commissioners endorsed Lauren Boebert. Both Mike Samson and John Martin support Boebert in her campaign for CD3 but have not endorsed her. [Pols emphasis]

Full stop. Let’s make sure we’ve got this straight. Garfield County commissioners John Martin and Mike Samson “support” Lauren Boebert…but do not “endorse” Boebert? First of all, what kind of absurd distinction without a difference is that? And second, why would anyone who supports a candidate ask for a news story to be corrected to clarify that they have not actually “endorsed” that candidate? Doesn’t drawing attention to your “support” being qualified accomplish the opposite of voicing support?

There are two possibilities: Martin and Samson are really this politically ham-fisted, or they’re not excited to be supporting Lauren Boebert–but can’t bring themselves to come out against her like former GOP House Speaker and Western Slope political icon Russ George.

Either way, it’s a small “correction” that speaks volumes.