January 29, 2016 09:12 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Friday (Jan. 29)

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• by: Colorado Pols

Remember, friends: That Super Bowl party you were invited to attend is next Sunday. It’s time to Get More Smarter with Colorado Pols. If you think we missed something important, please include the link in the comments below (here’s a good example).

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► The final Republican Presidential debate before the Iowa caucuses was held last night in Des Moines, and the big winner was — of course — the guy who wasn’t there. Here’s a Winners and Losers analysis from our pals at “The Fix”, including the biggest losers:

Ted Cruz: Cruz did the thing I hate the most in debates — complain about the rules — when he tried to game a bit more talking time and got shut down by moderator Chris Wallace. The Texas Senator’s joking threat that if he kept taking incoming from the other candidates he might leave the stage (Donald Trump reference!) fell flat. He was on the wrong end of a scolding by Paul over his conservative righteousness.  And, time and time again, Cruz found himself insisting that on a panoply of issues — military spending, immigration etc. — everyone was either wrong about his position or didn’t understand it well enough. That’s too much defense for Cruz to play — especially in a debate without Trump.

Ben Carson: Whoa boy.  Carson swung from barely being asked any questions to providing answers that often bordered on incoherence. His response to a question about how to deal with Russia simply made no sense — further adding to the narrative that he is far, far out of his depth on foreign policy. At one point, he seemed stunned to even get a question, which isn’t the best look for a guy running to be the leader of a 300-million person country.  Carson looked out of his league tonight.

To be fair, Carson has been out of his league since at least July. Cruz, meanwhile, is getting universally panned for his performance last night, which might give Trump the room he needs to leave Iowa with a big win. From Politico:

More than 4-in-10 GOP insiders – given the choice of the seven GOP candidates on the stage, plus Trump – rated Cruz as the loser of Thursday night’s debate, citing his defensive posture on his past immigration stances and opposition to ethanol subsidies.

► Both of the top Democratic candidates for President — Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders — will speak at the Colorado Democrats’ annual fundraising gala on Feb. 13. The big winner here is obvious: The Colorado Democratic Party.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

► Speaking of Gardner, expect the freshman Senator to soon add his name as a sponsor to a new federal “Life at Conception Act” being pushed by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

► Depending on your definition of an official “candidate,” there are anywhere from 8-12 Republicans running for U.S. Senate in Colorado. State Sen. Tim Neville is still in command of the field.

Elsewhere, Colorado Springs businessman Robert Blaha joins Aurora Republican Ryan Frazier as an official entrant in the petition-gathering contest to make the June Primary ballot. With Neville an overwhelming favorite to win the GOP nomination at the State Convention, many other Republicans have no choice but to try to petition their way onto the ballot.

► State Sen. Ray Scott (R-Grand Junction-ish) decided against running for U.S. Senate in 2016 — not that anyone was asking — but says now that he is considering a bid for Governor in 2018. Whatever.

► Colorado Democrats are taking part in a national effort to overhaul equal pay laws for women. As Joey Bunch reports for the Denver Post:

As press conferences go, this one was rock solid: A group of House Democrats were joined by women’s groups and small children Thursday to drive home the point that the equal pay issue isn’t going away as long as wages for women lag. The children wore red T-shirts that gave their ages in the 2057, the year advocates say pay for women, at the current rate of gains, will catch up to what men earn.

Colorado women make about 80 cents on the dollar to men’s pay, various government and private studies have indicated, That’s why Colorado lawmakers joined counterparts in more than 20 other states to advocate for legislative gains this year. The campaign is called Equal Pay Can’t Wait, led by the liberal State Innovation Exchange. The Democrats said they would try to pass a package of equal-pay bills this session.

For more on the national push on this issue, check out this story in the Washington Post.

► The Colorado legislature will again debate the issue of “assisted suicide” starting next week.