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June 23, 2014 12:23 PM UTC

Can "Honey Badger" Sneak In a Win?

  • 44 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols
Scott Gessler.
Scott Gessler.

The two most likely scenarios in tomorrow's Republican gubernatorial primary elections, based on all polling of the race, is either a win by former Congressman Bob Beauprez or his colleague Tom Tancredo. But there is a third possible outcome that we do want to note for the record, as the Denver Post's Joey Bunch reported last week:

[Scott Gessler] embraces the nickname "Honey Badger" — even calling his campaign Team Honey Badger — which came from the Internet meme about "the most fearless animal in the animal kingdom."

"He has less baggage than Tancredo, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have any," University of Denver political scientist Peter Hanson said of Gessler's primary opponent, who is known for controversy.

To his credit, Gessler has a well-organized, disciplined campaign, Hanson said. [Pols emphasis]

One thing we know from elections past is that polling is notoriously problematic in a low-turnout primary election, because a disciplined get-out-the-vote field campaign can turn polling results on their head on Election Night. And that possibility remains for tomorrow night: even though Beauprez and Tancredo are hogging the spotlight for earned media in this race, Gessler's by all accounts quality campaign, staffed by smart up-and-coming intelligentsia Republicans, just might be getting the ballots in from their well-targeted voters.

This possibilty prevents us from completely writing off any of the three viable contenders in this nominally four-man, widely regarded as a two-man race. Mike Kopp has no ability to pull off a steal himself, having never raised the minimum needed to undertake a field campaign. We don't even think his Rocky Mountain Gun Owners endorsement can help him at this point, with Kopp basically in vanity mode after winning the state assembly.

If there's an upset brewing in this race, Gessler will be it.

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44 thoughts on “Can “Honey Badger” Sneak In a Win?”

    1. If there's no Gessler upset, Modster must be kept away from  firearms, sharp objects, higher than ground floor windows, bridges, bodies of water, drain cleaner, dangerous prescription drugs, ropes etc.

      2. Don't worry, I'll be fine no matter what happens, and I will support the nominee no matter who it is. Right now, it's looking good for Scott Gessler to stage an upset just like Colorado Pols says!

        It might be the last time I ever agree with Pols, but they managed to get it right this time.

        2. If Gessler were actually to win, I think it would set up an interesting test of who the general electorate trusts more.Is it the Governor, whom the Repubs can't say enough bad about based on his , or the SoS whom the media can't say enough bad about, based on his performance in office. 

  3. He can mobilize all those many thousands of illegal voters his crack investigations have uncovered, but cleverly concealed for just this moment.

     

    1. + 20,000, at least,  Gertie… or maybe 197. Or 4. If we count Caldara, Marks, and Navarro-Ratzlaff, 7.

      I'd like to say that there's no way Gessler can win the primary. If he does, though, it's on.

  4. Can “Honey Badger” Sneak In a Win?

    No. But if he does, he'll have his sordid past full of poor ethical choices thrown at him by everyone and their mother.

    Let's remember he "applied" for his first public service job knowing he didn't like the pay and wanting to still work part time at his private job. 

    He started his tenure in January 2011 by telling the Denver Business Journal that at $68,500 per year, his new gig didn’t pay well enough. He’d planned to moonlight for his old law firm, Hackstaff Law Group. But the firm specializes in election law, so it often has business with the secretary of state’s office. Although Gessler swore he would only represent clients who didn’t have a conflict with his day job, as his visibility increased, fewer clients would fit that bill. “I backed down on it, in part, because the publicity made it absolutely untenable,” Gessler says. “I could not effectively represent a client with that level of publicity.”

    A lie to explain a blatantly unethical desire to increase his pay. His law school professors could've given him a Retroactive 'F' for that bit of B.S.

    1. Actually, if Gessler does manage an upset (I'm not holding my breath, however), he'll absolutely use the "victim" card comparing his ethics violation conviction against the trumped up complaint against Hick that was justifiably dismissed as proof of mean ol' Democrats ganging up against helpless Republicans like himself. Waaaaahhhh!

            2. I didn't say "neutral."

              I said "bipartisan."

              Don't put words in my mouth.  I don't want the Ethics Commission to be neutral.  I want it to be biased against unethical scumbags, whatever their political affiliation.

              1. Remember, Elliot can't argue Gessler didn't do what he was convicted of, because that's beyond contestation. So, he'll stick with the "the IEC is biased and unfair" bullshit.

                Because Gessler did what he was convicted of. 

                1. Facts were never all that much in dispute.  What has been in dispute was legal effect of those facts and the adequacy of the procedure in the IEC proceedings. 

                    1. Not really.  Look at the quality of the filings vs. the quality of the decisions. 

  6. He has a better chance of finding those thousands of fraudulent voters.  I'm thinking post primary Gessler postings will need a trigger warning for Moddy.

    I'm thinking Beauprez, Tancredo, what's his name who's in office, then what's his name who left office

    1. Colorado Pols must have decided there's no political disadvantage in acknowledging Gessler's great campaign. I've heard that Gessler's team is doing very well, and if their current pace holds they've got a great shot at winning tomorrow. Scott's positive message and skilled campaign are a winning combination!

      Thanks, Pols. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. 🙂

          1. What smear campaign is that?  I'm just speaking as Joe Average Taxpayer, unaffiliated voter.  If I have a problem with Gessler, I'd be willing to bet that lots of other people do too.

            Don't slander the messenger.  Gessler has failed to impress us.

            1. To Moddy, Elliot, and AC, a smear campaign is anything that speaks the truth about a candidate's actions, statements, or professed positions.  

               

                1. Oh, I don't have any problem thinking they're rational. They're just disingenuous.  They can rationalize anything to promote their own arguments. 

    2. Andrew Struttman and Rory McShane are two talented and young rising GOP political operative stars

       

      In other words, they are future criminals that will be investigated, indicted and placed in jail.

      1. Andrew Struttman and Rory McShane are two talented and young rising GOP political operative stars . .  . 

        . . . who will be available to start work at interested new employers as early as 8:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.

        1. Chronically unemployed is more like it. And their UI will run out and they'll live on the skid row…

          Any Republican operatives needs to be confronted and called on. They need to stop being stealthy. I give you an example of one James O'Keefe. He's on probation and ordered not to get involved in political activity and yet he chronically violates probation and should have been revoked and sentenced to 5 years in maximum security prison, on solitary confinement and given only gruel and dirty water from the toilet.

            1. Really? Isn't the market for disingenuous GOP flacks who claim they have support "from both sides of the aisle" a little saturated right now? 

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