March 02, 2016 08:28 AM UTC

Trump prevails in Adams County but CO GOP mostly silent on the reality-show star

• 9 Comments
• by: Jason Salzman

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

At last night’s caucuses, local Republicans generally didn’t hold preference polls on the presidential race but there were exceptions, like Adams Country, a swing district that might possibly serve as a barometer of how Colorado would have gone on the red side.

Thanks to The Denver Post for reporting the GOP results from Adams County:

Even though the state Republican Party canceled the straw poll, Adams County officials decided to hold an “unofficial” count.

The precinct didn’t entertain speeches from the candidates’ supporters — “You know who the candidates are,” the organizer said. Instead, the neighbors wrote a last name on a pink slip and submitted it to the secretary.

The final vote count: Trump six, Cruz four, Rubio four and Carson one.

This is obviously only an anecdote, but it’s been hard to gauge Trump’s actual factual support in Colorado, because so few party leaders have endorsed him–or repudiated him.

On the favorable side for the reality-show star, other than caucus-goers in Adams Country, the closest thing we have to official Trump support is State Sen. Laura Woods, who’s said Trump is one of her two favorite candidates but then endorsed Cruz. Plus, vocalists on conservative talk radio, like KNUS 710-AM’s Peter Boyles, have endorsed him.

The GOP Trump haters are also largely in the closet–with exceptions.  In a beautifully written editorial today, titled Donald Trump’s Victories Point to GOP Crisis, The Denver Post reminds us that Sen. Cory Gardner called Trump a “buffoon” last year, and Rep. Ken Buck was more generous, calling him a “fraud.”

“Surely they wouldn’t support a buffoon or fraud if he’s nominated,” The Post opined. “If not, they should say so now.”

Yet, for the most part, Colorado Republicans have been silent on Trump, perhaps agreeing with Rep. Mike Coffman who said Trump “is not going to be the nominee.”

Surely, Coffman doesn’t think that now. But what do he and his fellow Republicans think of Trump and, by extension, the folks in Adams County who are backing him? Please do tell.