October 03, 2014 02:07 PM UTC

Denver Post: Hearty Endorsement for Hickenlooper

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• by: Colorado Pols

The Denver Post  is out today with its endorsement in the Colorado Governor's race, and the editorial board is all-in on a second term for Gov. John Hickenlooper:

Beauprez is an honorable man who has run a much-improved campaign from his effort in 2006, but he has provided no compelling reason why voters should dismiss the governor after a single term. [Pols emphasis] And if Beauprez were elected, he'd quickly discover that Hickenlooper's practice of reaching out to both sides, which Beauprez seems to disdain, is the only productive way to govern in a purple state — especially one in which at least one chamber of the legislature is very likely to remain in Democratic hands.

No matter who is elected, he'll face a host of difficult issues in the next four years, such as how to meet funding needs for transportation, higher education and health care. Hickenlooper has already proved that he can handle the worst that nature and politics throw his way. And he has accomplished this while remaining consistently upbeat and positive, even on the campaign trail, refusing to run negative ads. He has earned another term.

The sentence in bold echoes something we've been saying repeatedly in this space: Bob Beauprez doesn't have enough time to both make the case to fire Hickenlooper and convince voters to choose him instead.

While it is a time-honored tradition for politicos to haggle over the relative importance of endorsements — particularly when they come from newspapers — this endorsement from the Post could be a significant boost to HIckenlooper's campaign. It's not the endorsement itself that is so important, but the rationale behind it; the Post's argument in favor of another term for Hickenlooper is based on exactly the messages that his campaign wants to repeat:

Hickenlooper's performance during these events is worth noting not only because it demonstrates his ability to function under pressure. It also belies the accusation from critics that he is indecisive or somehow too reflective — as if taking the full measure of an issue is a sign of weakness.

It is not. By any fair assessment, Hickenlooper has been more than just a capable governor. He's been a highly effective one.

The Post also praises Hickenlooper's handling of a potential November battle of fracking initiatives by taking a swipe at an oft-repeated line by Beauprez:

That's not "kicking the can down the road," as his opponent would have it. It's a leader controlling events rather than letting them spin into a costly advertising donnybrook with an uncertain outcome.

All of these statements can, and likely will, be used in TV advertisements and direct mail outreach as a great third-party validation of Hickenlooper's leadership chops. The Post's endorsement won't be the difference between winning and losing for Hickenlooper, but it is a valuable piece of the re-election puzzle. It's also an endorsement that Beauprez badly needed in order to prove to out-of-state interests that he really can win in November — on that count, this is almost like a double-endorsement for Democrats.