June 02, 2016 02:17 PM UTC

Keyser Bails on Colorado Springs Senate Forum

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• by: Colorado Pols

What’s that thing politicians do right before they lose?

Generally, there are a number of dead giveaways that the end is near for a political candidate. One is when you start laying off your “essential” staffers. Another is when you start cancelling public events. As the Colorado Independent’s Corey Hutchins reports, scandal-plagued GOP Senate candidate Jon Keyser is now doing the latter:

Voters sick of hearing about GOP drama in the U.S. Senate race or seeing Democrat Michael Bennet’s TV commercials will get a chance to check out a third option. Libertarian Lily Tang Williams will join three Republicans in a moderated candidate’s forum in Colorado Springs, sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Black Conservatives.

The forum kicks off at 6:30 p.m at Colorado Christian University in Colorado Springs tonight, Thursday, June 2.

All candidates in the big race were invited. Organizers for the black conservative group say Republicans Robert Blaha, Ryan Frazier and Darryl Glenn will also attend…

Keyser isn’t the only Republican U.S. Senate candidate who won’t be able to attend tonight’s forum, but he does appear to be the only candidate who RSVP’ed–and then un-RSVP’ed:

Derrick Wilburn, chairman of the Rocky Mountain Black Conservatives, says Graham had a scheduling conflict and doesn’t blame him for not being able to make it, but thinks it’s a mistake for Keyser not to show.

“Keyser accepted and then declined yesterday,” Wilburn told The Colorado Independent. “I don’t know the exact reason. I think all we know is that he changed his mind.” [Pols emphasis]

This isn’t the last candidate forum between now and when ballots get mailed later this month, but Keyser cancelling events at all right now is a very significant development. The last thing Keyser should do is turtle up just before ballots go out.

If Keyser has any hope of changing the conventional wisdom that his campaign is over, this was not the way to show it.