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%
August 04, 2008 09:18 PM UTC
17 Comments
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Jeff Crank is over six feet tall. Just like Abraham Lincoln, I might add.
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Very few ColoradoPolsters stepped up to claim their root beer. Props to Jorgensen.
This was apparently NOT a Jeff Crank Town Hall Meeting.
It was a meeting of the Colorado Springs Chapter of the Coalition for a Conservative Majority. www.ccmajority.org.
At least, it started out that way.
Any of you old enough to remember the TV show “Peyton Place ?”
Lots of drama.
Apparently, this started out, in the planning stages, as a “Candidates Forum” a couple of weeks ago. Supposedly, or allegedly, all 3 campaigns for the 5th CD Republican spot on the ballot said they would participate.
Then, it was reported, the national organization of CCM said that the chapter could NOT conduct a candidates forum in the Primaries, only during the General election campaign, because of the charter and the tax code.
Now, this is supposedly a non-partisan organization, that only talks about issues, not candidates or, heaven forbid, parties.
But everyone there acted like the GOP is the home of all conservatives, so they all presumed that the only conservative candidates were Rayburn, Crank and the incumbent.
But to keep their tax-exempt, non-profit status, it has to be about issues.
The local chapter pushed back. Now, this is a national organization, with 9 chapters. There’s a Colorado state chapter, headed by Bruce Benson, which I guess acts like a Denver chapter, and C Springs, and 7 more.
The local chapter officers consulted a couple of prominent attorneys and asked about the limitations on 501(c)4 organizations. Turns out, there’s no conflict with their non-profit status if they hold a candidates forum in the primary campaign. The chapter officers passed that info on to national headquarters.
Who knows the real back story, but allegedly Doug Lamborn’s Chief of Staff in DC called Tom DeLay, one of the founders of CCM, and got him to ORDER the local chapter not to have a candidates forum.
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Now it gets interesting. Yes, RedGreen, this appears to be Newsie’s “interesting development.”
The chapter officers include President Kyle Fisk, who is different than Nathan Fisk, El Paso County GOP Executive Director. Kyle admits to unabashedly supporting Jeff Crank.
Chapter Secretary is MaryAnne Tebedo, a Lamborn supporter.
VP Broerman was unable to attend. The 4th officer, and I apologize for not getting her name, appeared to be in the Rayburn camp.
After reciting this litany of slights and disrespect, and making the GOP look a bit arrayed against itself,
the chapter president announced that he would obey the dictates from national headquarters (DeLay) and NOT conduct a forum, and, by the way, he was resigning as president, since he could not support such a mickey mouse organization.
He said that folks could do whatever they wanted, because the room was reserved until 9 PM, and 2 of the candidates were prepared to answer questions.
MaryAnne objected, saying that at the meeting when the chapter was first organized, they had agreed to stay out of the primary race.
Meeting adjourned.
There was a little ruckus, a little grumbling. The news crew from KRDO TV, including Eric Singer, packed up and left. Then someone asked yours truly, the enemy, the conservative candidate from the conservative party,
to moderate a debate between the candidates, General Rayburn and Mr. Crank.
And the candidates forum was underway, starting what? about 7:30, I think.
I took questions from the audience.
The first asked what they would do about Pinon Canyon. Jeff and the General each had thoughtful answers, well-delivered. Then there was a longish question about the loss of America’s industrial base. After about 3 minutes I cut the questioner off and pitched it to the candidates. Then a followup on trade.
While Jeff was answering, a library security official entered the room and looked like he needed me to take some action. I snuck back to the back of the room and asked what he needed. It was just before 8 PM.
The guard asked me if this was still the CCM meeting, or if another meeting was going on.
Maryanne was apparently so upset that conservative voters might hear what the challengers might say that she went to the guard and demanded that he evict us.
I said I would wrap it up in 10 minutes, thinking I’d give each candidate a chance to make a closing statement.
Maryanne came over to me and the guard and demanded that we be stopped. Then she went up to the podium, interrupting Jeff’s answer, and told the crowd that we could not do this, we could not meet under false pretenses, because what we were doing was besmirching the reputation of the local CCM chapter.
She grabbed Jeff’s face, said she knew and loved him, but he was not allowed to speak his mind, lest people start thinking for themselves. That’s not an exact quote.
Bentley saw the EPC GOP melting down before his eyes and skedaddled.
It took another 10 minutes for the crowd to break up and leave, as we scratched our heads about what principles Doug Lamborn stood for. If he opposed citizens hearing the views of candidates so much that he would ask the Hammer to bust up his own fledgling organization,
and send MaryAnne to be the enforcer,
well, we got a belly full of the seamy underside of local GOP politics.
I developed a newfound admiration for the two challengers. I sure hope Doug wins the Primary, because the other two would be formidable opponents in the General Election.
Anti-democracy Doug ? Not so formidable. I look forward to debating him in a few weeks.
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to catch myself, Jeff and Bentley on KRDO-TV’s 10 O’clock newscast. Maybe you can find the report on their website.
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Lamborn and his enablers have really sunk to a new low. Too bad all the TV stations didn’t stay. Did anyone get Tebedo on video?
You don’t even know the full story about what happened this night, you’re being awfully presumptuous.
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like everyone else here, I have my own axe to grind.
I think everyone would appreciate your take on what happened.
I am sure that I misrepresented or flat out missed some crucial aspects.
Please give your perspective.
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or if this was some plan to foist a confrontation with him, but Lamborn was campaigning all day with Rep. Lamar Smith from Texas, including this evening, and I’m sure that Smith’s visit was planned much further out than a couple of weeks ago.
So I don’t think Lamborn could have, or would have, agreed to show up for a forum since his day was already set with an out of state Representative. I can’t speak to Delay or Tebedo, since I wasn’t at this event, but the entire thing sounds like a publicity grab by the other candidates. But that’s just my take.
It was great meeting you, the MAN with the RED cooler and my fav rootbeer. Could you please contact me about the other beverages and food dished out for thought, tonight?
Please email
Gruen.leslie@gmail.com –
thank you for the rootbeer and rooting for free political discourse!
Please do contact me, I need some insight!!!
Congressman Lamborn was at a reception with special guest Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX), the Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee. Yes it is unfortunately he could not attend these unofficially shenanigans… a great travesty indeed.
that Lamborn made himself unavailable for another forum is no surprise. Tebedo calling security on a civic gathering … well, I guess that’s no surprise either, but it certainly speaks to the values of Lamborn’s camp.
that Lamborn wouldn’t cancel an event he had already scheduled with a high ranking Congressman here in Colorado to hang out with his opponents for the night? It’s not his fault they scheduled a surprise forum after he had already set up his own campaign event.
Personally, I don’t see it as a big mistake of his to avoid whatever fiasco took place there last night.
to shirk any debates with his challengers, so of course there’s nothing surprising about tonight.
Kyle Fisk and VP Chuck, are partisan Crank operatives. Chuck is a very good strategic thinker, and political strategist. (I know and personaly like CB. He has done a lot of good for the party in other areas.)
I believe they have had the final 3 weeks of this campaign storyboarded for some time. I believe this was not an accident or coincidence.
I think it just didn’t work out like they planned. The National Organization didn’t want to be involved with a divisive debate that not all 3 candidates agreed to or wanted.
Think of it from the CCM’s perspective. This was hijacking their agenda and good name to benefit one candidate, while likely to alienate the local CCM members and potential future members that support the Conservative Republican incumbent congressman.
If I was the national chairman, I would have removed Kyle Fisk for a conflict of interest, and depending on the circumstance, his partner(s) in crime too.
President Kyle was not acting in the best interest of the CCM.
Is that enough perspective for you Brian?
Thanks for askin.
NEWSMAN
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the more I can see why you feel the way you do.
Certainly there was more to it than met the eye, or was announced.
I went to be entertained and informed. I got more of one than the other.
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Yo Newsman…CCM’s stated objective is to “inform, educate, and mobilize.” How is hosting a candidate townhall meeting “hijacking” the CCM agenda?
All 4 officers of CCM-Colorado Springs including supporters from all three campaigns made the decision to move forward with the plans for the forum.
Lamborn originally agreed and then backed out. They moved the event to Friday the 8th so as not to conflict with his fundraiser. And again, he backed out.
What is Lamborn afraid of? Why, Mr. Newsman have you made this post about a local chapter of an organization instead of the real issue at hand…Dodging Doug’s refusal to face the voters.
(Oh, wait. You’re a Lamborn advocate here on Pols. Guess I should not be surprised)