August 31, 2012 11:17 PM UTC

Stand for Children Endorses Watson in HD-3

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• by: Colorado Pols

Education reform group Stand for Children has endorsed Republican Brian Watson in his HD-3 campaign against incumbent State Representative Dan Kagan, just days after the hyper-competitive race topped out the Colorado Statesman’s August list of the top 12 campaigns to watch in Colorado.

From Ed News Colorado:

The education advocacy group Stand for Children has endorsed a split ticket of six Democrats and five Republicans in 2012 races for seats in the Colorado legislature.

Here’s the rundown of Stand’s endorsements, plus snapshots of the races and the involvement of other education groups:

House District 3 (Greenwood Village area) – Stand endorsed GOP businessman Brian Watson over Rep. Daniel Kagan. The race is considered tight; groups affiliated with the Colorado Education Association have contributed to Kagan.

Stand’s endorsement won’t drastically shift the dynamics of this race. Kagan, after all, was never expected to receive any support from the group. He was a vocal opponent of State Senator Michael Johnston’s SB-191, the teacher-effectiveness bill that Stand both crafted and advocated heavily for at the end of the 2010 legislative session. When that bill came to the House floor, you may remember, Kagan led a 90 minute “filibuster” in an attempt to block its passage. Kagan’s efforts failed, much to the chagrin of the Colorado Education Association and several House Democrats, and the “Great Teachers and Leaders” bill was eventually signed into law.

Still, with Stand’s endorsement, Watson added another talking point to his campaign arsenal. He can now paint himself as forward-thinking on education, willing to take on the much-maligned teacher’s unions in order to provide the district’s kids with the education they deserve. This race won’t be won or lost because of an education group’s endorsement — or even over education policy itself — but for a seat this competitive, even the anticipated endorsements matter.