(Lori Saine wins the debate in 0.5 seconds — Promoted by Colorado Pols)
Republican Steve Reams, the master of ceremonies at a GOP debate yesterday, leaped off the stage to cut off congressional candidate Lori Saine as she rushed to join the debate.
“I’m Lori Saine, and I accepted the invitation,” announced Saine as she approached her opponents on stage.
But Reams hit the floor and chased Saine to the aisle where she joined the ticket-holding onlookers.
The confrontation occurred after event organizers barred Saine from the debate because, they say, she missed the deadline to RSVP.
Saine says she asked to be included later, and it’s a bad “look” for Republicans to exclude a fellow Republican.
The sideshow got surprisingly little reaction from the audience, despite Reams’ jump from the stage and the pre-debate hullabaloo over whether Republicans should have allowed Saine to join the debate.
But Saine’s brush with civil disobedience was easy to miss. It was over in a blip, and Saine could barely be seen — much less heard — as she was nabbed by Reams in the cave-like Grizzly Rose event center, where the event, organized by the Republican Women of Weld, took place. Reams may have been leaping off the stage to get a note about the program, for all the audience could tell.
Watch here;
So the debate, featuring Saine’s three opponents for Colorado’s new congressional seat went on, uninterrupted.
Ironically, the question at hand as Saine made her entrance beneath the debate stage was, would the candidates “support and endorse” the Republican nominee regardless of who wins the primary. This would include the candidate who was being chased away at the very moment moderator George Brauchler was asking the question. All the candidates affirmed their support for the GOP nominee.
The debate continued from there, and the assembled Republicans got solid information about 75% of candidates who will be on the June 28 primary ballot.
To give you a sense of what 100% of the candidates would have said, I’ll report on the lightning-round answers not only from the three candidates who appeared today but also from Saine, whose answers I collected in the back of the room after the debate ended.
Debate Question: Would you have voted to censure Liz Cheney, the Wyoming GOP congresswoman who joined Democrats in investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection?
Former Green Beret Tylar Allcorn: No. “I don’t believe in censorship.”
Thornton Mayor Jan Kullman: No. “The First Amendment gives us the right to free speech.”
State Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer: No. “I believe in freedom of speech as well.”
Saine (interviewed in the back of the room): Yes. “I would have voted to censure her.”
Debate Question: Who do you believe won the 2020 presidential election?
Kullman: “Unfortunately, Biden won the election.”
Allcorn: “Whether you like it or not, Joe Biden is currently sitting in the Oval Office. And he shouldn’t be.”
Kirkmeyer: “Joe Biden won the election.”
Saine (interviewed in back of the room): “Trump.”
Debate Question: Name a living, breathing Democrat that you admire.
Kirkmeyer: State Sen. Rachel Zenzinger.
Allcorn: “I haven’t come across one that I admire.”
Kullman: Northglenn Mayor Merideth Leighty.
Saine (interviewed in back of the room): “I’m friends with everyone in the 2020 state house delegation. Just because we are diametrically opposed politically doesn’t mean we can’t walk out and have lunch.”
RELATED: Lori Saine Will Not Be Allowed To Participate in GOP Candidate Debate, Say Event Organizers
Other debate questions covered topics ranging from crime and gas prices to term limits and Hispanic voters. Watch the entire debate here.
After the debate, attendees voted for their favorite candidates on a ballot that included Saine’s name with the note: “Not present. Invite not accepted.”
This appears to explain why Saine rushed the stage saying, “I’m Lori Saine and I accepted the invitation.”
The results of the vote were: Allcorn got 17, Kulmann 50, Saine 53, and Kirkmeyer 62.
The Colorado Sun’s Jesse Paul tweeted that “not much can/should be gleaned from these numbers.”
Still, Saine said, “Beating two of the candidates while off stage isn’t bad.”
The winner of the June 28 GOP primary will take on Democrat Yadira Caraveo to represent the district, which is situated in suburbs north of Denver, and it’s expected to be among the most competitive congressional races in the country in November. An eighth congressional district was assigned to Colorado after the 2020 Census.
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Thanks, Jason. This was classic.
Thank you. Also, it was a good event with a lot of good questions. the youtube is worth a peruse, especially if you haven't seen the candidates before.
I am also interested if there were other athletics or notable moments from the rest of the day.
From the headline, I expected more pro wrestling-style theatrics, but entertaining nonetheless!
No gymnastics, but there was unbelievable stretching movesthere, of the truth.
I'm curious — did the crowd mostly stay static through the day, or was there a migration for the various office speeches / debates?
Will you have commentary on any of the other three "joint appearances" ?? Anything happen worth talking about?
The crowd varied some, not as much as you might think. i won't comment on the other debates but you can watch on the YouTube link and there was other coverage here:
OP Senate candidates Hanks and O’Dea face off in primary debate
https://www.cpr.org/2022/05/22/gop-senate-candidates-hanks-and-odea-face-off-in-senate-debate/
Colorado’s two Republican candidates for U.S. Senate — businessman Joe O’Dea and state Rep. Ron Hanks — faced off in their first debate on Saturday, with five weeks to go to the June 28th primary. The hour long debate touched on everything from abortion to electability to national security. The two are vying to see who will challenge Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet in the fall. The Republican Women of Weld and Adams counties and Greeley hosted the debate at the Grizzly Rose bar and concert venue in Denver. Republicans have far more active primaries than Democrats this year and the GOP candidates for Governor, Secretary of State and the 8th Congressional District also took the stage earlier in the day. A few candidates did not attend.
RELATED: Republicans diverge in Colorado's U.S. Senate primary
https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2022/05/23/republicans-us-senate-joe-odea-ron-hanks-colorado
RELATED: Former Interior secretaries Bernhardt, Norton back Joe O'Dea in Republican US Senate primary
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/elections/2022/former-interior-secretaries-bernhardt-norton-back-joe-odea-in-republican-us-senate-primary/article_2f7dec72-d913-11ec-98bf-bff037e736b4.html
RELATED: GOP candidates face off at Colorado Republican Rumble
https://www.9news.com/video/news/local/local-politics/gop-candidates-face-off-at-colorado-republican-rumble/73-677b98ca-01ca-4160-a0aa-9ff2d34b4dea
I am seriously of two minds on this.
On one hand, it is entertaining and I have a craving for popcorn.
On the other hand, it makes me want to roll my eyes. It just shows how unserious Republicans are when it comes to governing.
Lori (in)Saine possibly waited until after the deadline to accept the RSVP. And whether or not she did, her making a publicity stunt for her exclusion allegedly from the late RSVP would qualify for earned media. And the rest of them, Reams in particular, took the bait by actively blocking her. This is a shitshow any way you cut it. And it should have no place in government.
Saine’s showing up uninvited was a cheap, knock-off version of Ronald Reagan’s decision to bring Howard Baker, John Anderson, Bob Dole and the other also rans to the Nashua Telegraph debate in the 1980 New Hampshire primary which was only supposed to be between Reagan and G.W. Bush.
Reagan had a great sound bite, “I’m paying for this microphone, Mr. Breen!”
G.W. Bush looked like a wimp. Reagan won the primary after having lost the Iowa caucuses the previous week. And the rest is history.
The Republican Women of Weld had the good sense to have Sheriff Reams available to serve as bouncer although IMHO the shirtless Terry Maketa would have made for a hotter master of ceremonies.
I really wonder if the candidates knew the question was about censuring and not censoring or if they know the difference between the 2.
hmm. good question
I'm guessing the answer is 'no', and that they're not even informed enough to understand the context or even the event itself.