CO-04 (Special Election)
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(R) Greg Lopez
(R) Trisha Calvarese
90%
10%
President (To Win Colorado)
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(D) Joe Biden*
(R) Donald Trump
80%
20%↓
CO-01 (Denver)
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(D) Diana DeGette*
90%
CO-02 (Boulder-ish)
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(D) Joe Neguse*
90%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
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(D) Adam Frisch
(R) Jeff Hurd
(R) Ron Hanks
40%
30%
20%
CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado)
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(R) Lauren Boebert
(R) Deborah Flora
(R) J. Sonnenberg
30%↑
15%↑
10%↓
CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
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(R) Dave Williams
(R) Jeff Crank
50%↓
50%↑
CO-06 (Aurora)
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(D) Jason Crow*
90%
CO-07 (Jefferson County)
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(D) Brittany Pettersen
85%↑
CO-08 (Northern Colo.)
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(D) Yadira Caraveo
(R) Gabe Evans
(R) Janak Joshi
60%↑
35%↓
30%↑
State Senate Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
State House Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
October 02, 2014 10:25 AM UTC
23 Comments
The Board of Ed is going to double down tomorrow night. The curriculum review committee is on the agenda, and I predict they are going to pass it (after they have removed the offending language about "promoting citizenship" and "not encouraging dissent"). For the Dems, this is the gift that just keeps giving. They should do everything they can to keep this in the news cycle as every one's ballots arrive in the mail. I said it elsewhere, there are 10's of thousands of voters that want to vote against Williams, Witt, and Newkirk, but they are not on the ballot. They Dems need to encourage a proxy vote against Beauprez and Gerdner.
The Republicans have had success using teachers unions as a scapegoat–don't think the tide can't turn in Jefferson County too.
Democrats would be prudent to hit back and do everything possible to avoid letting the “teachers union” meme stick.
They can focus on this. This is a grassroots reaction against the pattern of actions by an out of control, renegade group of school board members that can damage the quality of the JeffCo schools. The board serves the community, it isn't supposed to dictate unacceptable policies and curriculum changes, while alienating good teachers. This has nothing to do with the union and everything to do with the board.
Someone will be loving the smell of recall in the morning. Get that effort underway, asap. I would, and I don't particularly like recalls.
I detect a storm a-brewing with the gop/bagger cult of Colorado…This Koch puppet school board will do everything within its power to ignore and to marginalize the parents and Union…that is the m.o. of the dark money folks…the Kochs have been at this for a long time…and we are seeing the fruits of their labor…it is good that the national spot light is shining on our problem…ALEC beware…Koch boys…back off…
A bridge too far?
Ben Carson, renowned surgeon and newest wingnut hero and presidential candidate, is lying to ppl about the AP course, of course.
All the bitching is nice and everything, and it certainly is helpful statewide that the school board loons will likely combine with the state senate loons to ensure (D) control of the legislature again. But…
This is going to keep going on for the next 3+ years while the nutTEAbags continue their reign. It's not like these folks will be hit with a sudden case of the rationals just because people are protesting. Listen to the board and their supporters: protesting parents are sore losers, protesting teachers are union thugs, protesting students are dupes and punks. You folks down in Jeffco need to wake up and shake up. Get some money and good professional organization and recall one or more of these folks.
As for the new commission, it can still do all the things Williams wanted, it's just less specifically nutty. The committee can still be loaded with the "godly Christians" Ms. Williams' friend put out the call for.
Unfortunately, a recall election would be tricky. If the sufficient signatures are collected for only one, the challenged board member can resign. (Hereafter known as the "Hudak maneuver"). The board would be deadlocked on a replacement, and ultimately Witt, as president would appoint. Expect this to happen is there are sufficient signatures for Williams. Therefore, at least two petitions need to be circulated.
D-11 in Springs went thru one of these same things many years ago. The wingnuts failed miserably and basically self-destructed while in office. These JeffCo Morans may be different, but it's doubtful, and that doesn't mean they won't cause harm and misery their entire time in office.
The other problem is turnout–the wingnuts have their constituency and can win by default if nobody else shows up to vote.
Exactly. Wing nuts have been taking over school boards since the original self proclaimed moral majority movement decades ago. All this attention could at least motivate a counter group to form in time against the wacko group in the future. It doesn't take that many votes to win these ultra low participation elections. Problem is the wackos have been the only ones really going after them. National money comes to them from their fellow wackos like the Kochs but honestly, taking over school board is pretty cheap.
Interesting. Thanks for that. And sorry Jeffco, y'all done screwed y'all's self.
I'm pretty please with Udall's comment praising students/teachers, hoping school board will pay attention. More clear than what I had suggested for him
I don't know how much damage it will do to the statewide candidates but it could really wreck havoc in the local legislative races. It can't help Tim Neville that his relative is showing how boorishly and arrogant Republicans behave when they get into positions of power. Their timing on pulling this power play couldn't have been any worse but it's such predictable behavior that you can't call it an October surprise.
I suspect Jeffco school board right wing actions could easily motivate fence sitters to punish the other right wingers up and down the ballot. In fact given the statewide publicity, it isn't much of a stretch to believe this could account for a point or 2 swing overall away from Repuglicans.
Beauprez has made the consequences of a GOP administration very concrete for voters. And if Eli Stokels interview with Gardner can be used in a pro-Udall ad, then the entire state (instead of just us) will see Con Man Cory for the lying POS that he is.
♫ Bang! Bang! / AP's silver hammer came down upon their heads… ♫
Gilpin Guy wrote: "it can't help Tim Neville that his relative…….." Davie wrote: "I suspect that Jeffco school board…….could easily motivate fence sitters……." "could be used in a pro-Udall ad….."
Bad news guys. It ain't gonna happen unless somebody takes some initiative. I live in JeffCo and have yet to get one single piece of campaign advertising in my mailbox. I get the Lakewood Sentinel weekly and almost nothing there in way of ads for reasonable legislative candidates, other "down ballot" runners. There is splashback on the school board in the Sentinel, but nothing about how the far righties on the board are similar to other far righties.
Udall's campaign is so bad that his staffers are almost begging to lose; how about talking something other than womens' issues. Yes, it's a good issue, but getting pretty stale by now.
Advice is that if you and others who share your views want things to go as you outline; you have to take what you write on this web site and put it into more concrete action. Example: either of you volunteering for Conservation Colorado's get out the vote efforts?
Regards (and good luck), C.H.B.
We'll see CB (this isn't a pseudonym for DB Cooper is it?). In my experience, parents are tigers when it comes to their kids education. It's like Medicare or Social Security for seniors. You don't go there during the height of an election season. Period.
Here is Jeanne NIcholson's (Neville's opponent) newsletter from yesterday.
Vince Carroll, the editorial page editor for the Denver Post, is normally quite conservative in his outlook. It is the very rare column he writes when I find myself in agreement with him. But his week he wrote a column about the Jefferson County school board that I had to agree with.
Here is the link to Vince Carroll's column to read for yourself:
http://www.denverpost.com/carroll/ci_26605160/abuse-history-je-8800-co
Jeanne and her dog Mongo.
The new majority on the JeffCo school board has turned deaf ears to the students, parents and teachers who have been appealing to them to reconsider their ways. And, as Mr. Carroll points out, they appear to be tone deaf to what U.S. History teaches us as well.
My constituents who I talk with door-to-door tell me they don't want the new majority to continue to pick fights that disrupt the school system. And they don't want JeffCo schools turned into a clone of the Douglas County school system either!
I oppose the new board majority's headstrong approach that seems to reject collaboration with anyone that doesn't agree with their point of view. If you agree with me, please contribute to my campaign. The more elected officials like myself that speak out against what the new board majority is doing, the more likely they will finally back off and start cooperating with everyone who has a stake in the Jefferson County public schools.
This is absolutely true. As a democrat turned independent voter, I was looking for a new party to align with. What I was hearing from the Tea Party organization (reduced government, transparency, following the Constitution) all sounded like a party that I could get behind. Until I saw them in action in the Jefferson County School Board. I have watched as they have limited and disregarded public input, ignored their own governing policies (which seem similar to a Constitution to me!), used facts and data that support their crusade and completely ignored data that doesn't, and tried to break a system that wasn't broken because they were "hired" by billionaires that are throwing their money around the country to break unions and start a charter school movement that segregates students and lines the pockets of investors. Because of their actions, I am now following the Tea Party movement again, in order to find candidates to vote against. Bob Beauprez lost my vote the minute that he aligned with elected representatives that care nothing for what their constituents have to say.
Thank you very much for sharing that, sn. And welcome (back) to the team!
need signatures to recall jeffco school board… please pass along!
Please join this campaign11`: https://www.change.org/p/jefferson-county-colorado-recall-ken-witt-julie-williams-john-newkirk?recruiter=160038484&utm_campaign=mailto_link&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition
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With all due respect, please do not pass on. A change.org petition has zero actual effect, except that it gives the appearance of doing something. An actual recall requires proper signature gathering.
This is what happens when ou have politicians using our children as POLITICAL PAWNS !!!
That's OK though. Last time I checked, Colorado DOES have a RECALL process (Ironically it was CONSERVATIVE voters who used it)
Apparently GOP & Tea Party seem to think they're somehow "Immune" from being on the RECEIVING end though…..