December 07, 2011 05:33 PM UTC

Kevin Lundberg For Congress (Cue Laugh Track)

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• by: Colorado Pols

FOX 31’s Eli Stokols reports:

State Sen. Kevin Lundberg, one of the most conservative members of the General Assembly, has formed an exploratory committee, taking the first official step toward a run for Congress next year…

Should that race materialize, the contrasts will be sharp between Lundberg, a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee, and Polis, a gay millionaire from Boulder who’s championed the DREAM Act.

The potential match-up only materialized earlier this week after the Colorado Supreme Court decided a long battle over redistricting in favor of a Democratic map that shifted Larimer County, which includes Berthoud, into Polis’s 2nd Congressional District.

“That’s one of the things I’ve considered in all of this,” Lundberg told FOX31 Denver Tuesday. “The reality is it still leans to the Democratic side. I know it’s going to be a tough run.

“But I believe the people need a choice — do we keep going down the road Jared Polis and Barack Obama have been taking us or do we go in a more conservative direction?”

State Sen. Kevin Lundberg has richly earned his spot as one of our very favorite conservative legislators–a proud leader on such issues as climate change denial, replicating Arizona’s reviled anti-immigrant legislation in Colorado, and waging war on birth control pills. Or maybe perpetuating “birther” hysteria and Glenn Beck conspiracy theories about public assistance is more noteworthy to you. Pretty much on any issue that pushes voters’ hot buttons, left or right, Lundberg has got an opinion way out there on the fringe–and again, proudly so.

But as much fun as it might be for Democrats to see Lundberg get resoundingly pummeled by incumbent Rep. Jared Polis in what remains a Democratic-leaning district (and believe us, it would be a lot of fun), rumors circulated just as fast as Lundberg’s announcement yesterday evening–rather obviously meant to tamp down any buzz Lundberg’s announcement might generate–of at least two other Republicans who are interested in this race.

Bottom line: Lundberg would be entertaining, but just about any other Republican–possible exceptions include former state Rep. Jim Welker and the ex-head of the Larimer County GOP now up on charges–should be able to pinch a Lundberg bid for Congress off at the neck.

We do think that Polis may be in for more of a challenge than he’s seen in prior years in the new CD-2–but if Republicans are serious about more than token opposition (or for that matter, opposition that doesn’t backfire), the challenge isn’t going to come from Lundberg.