August 20, 2014 08:28 AM UTC

Dems Press Beauprez-Perry Ties (With Mugshot)

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• by: Colorado Pols

As the Durango Herald's Peter Marcus reports, the felony indictments handed down against Texas Gov. Rick Perry by a grand jury last week continue to ripple. Yesterday, as Gov. Perry formally surrendered to authorities and got his mug shot taken, Colorado GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez faced a call to renounce Perry's endorsement:

A new, well-funded left-leaning organization, Making Colorado Great, has hired well-known progressive Michael Huttner to attack Beauprez.

Incumbent Gov. John Hickenlooper has vowed not to run attacks in his tight re-election campaign. On Tuesday, Hickenlooper released a new campaign video in which he doubles down on that promise, touting the economic progress of the state during the last four years rather than targeting Beauprez.

But Huttner, who founded ProgressNow Colorado about a decade ago, is not as shy as the governor. In his first news release for Making Colorado Great, Huttner called on Beauprez to immediately renounce his endorsement by Perry.

“If Bob Beauprez doesn’t immediately renounce Perry’s endorsement, it shows you that Beauprez and Perry are two peas in the same pod,” Huttner said. “We’ll see if Bob renounces Perry’s endorsement or tries to play it both ways as usual.” [Pols emphasis]

Public opinion on Perry's indictment, at least for now, breaks along partisan lines, with most voters in the conservative information loop hearing nothing but praise and defense for Perry and his actions against a local Democratic DA who oversees the state's public integrity investigations office. But as the story unfolds, there is also support building for the case against Perry–enough to make the current Republican strategy of scoffing wholesale at these felony charges against the sitting Governor of Texas, the first such indictment in over a century, more than a little risky.

Beauprez responded at the time, “I was proud to receive the endorsement of conservative Texas Gov. Rick Perry this morning. I am humbled by Rick Perry’s support and friendship … Rick Perry is a good man and an outstanding governor.”

Whether Beauprez likes it or not, these words will be used against him–and with at least some voters, it'll hurt.