October 18, 2016 10:05 AM UTC

Get More Smarter on Tuesday (October 18)

• 1 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

If the 2016 election is as rigged as Donald Trump claims, can we just go ahead and declare Hillary Clinton the winner and save everyone a few weeks of yammering? 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). If you are more of a visual learner, check out The Get More Smarter Show.

TOP OF MIND TODAY…

► Your ballot is in the mail (probably). Election officials began mailing out ballots on Monday, which means Coloradans could be casting their 2016 votes as soon as Wednesday. For voting information or to check your registration, go to JustVoteColorado.org. If you would prefer to vote at a polling place rather than via mail balloting, check here for your nearest polling location. Denver7 also includes a good list of election-related information.

► Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump is in Colorado today, making campaign stops in Colorado Springs and Grand Junction, just as a new poll shows Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton maintaining a healthy lead in our state thanks in part to a big boost from Unaffiliated voters. Trump will have to deal with plenty of questions today about his absurd claims that the election is being rigged against him; election officials (from both political parties) across the state condemned Trump’s fraud allegations in no uncertain terms.

Why is Trump so freaked out? Perhaps because he is on pace for an historic beatdown on Election Day.

Elsewhere on the top stump, Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence will be making a stop in Durango on Wednesday. On Monday, Clinton’s former Primary opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, wrapped up a two-day visit to Colorado aimed at encouraging GOTV and voter registration efforts.

► Democrat Gail Schwartz seems to have the momentum in her CD-3 challenge of incumbent Rep. Scott Tipton (R-Durango). Schwartz doubled Tipton’s fundraising haul in Q3, and has picked up endorsements from the Durango Herald and the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. Here’s an excerpt from today’s Sentinel endorsement:

Republican Scott Tipton wants a fourth term in the U.S. House representing the people of Colorado’s sprawling 3rd Congressional District.

We think Democrat Gail Schwartz is a better alternative.

That should say something. In the past three general elections, we’ve endorsed Tipton twice, along with Mitt Romney for president in 2012 and Cory Gardner for U.S. Senate in 2014 — all Republicans.

But in an era of unprecedented partisanship and gridlock on Capitol Hill, we need lawmakers who can put the needs of the district over party interests — or their own…

…We think Schwartz leans left far less than Tipton leans right. We think it’s time a more moderate representative got a crack at advocating for the interests of the district.

Get even more smarter after the jump…

IN CASE YOU ARE STANDING NEAR A WATER COOLER…

► Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is running for re-election despite persistently claiming that he would not (and despite the fact that he really doesn’t seem to want the job anyway), could end up losing a race because of Donald Trump for the second time this year. As the Washington Post reports:

In the RealClearPolitics average of all recent polls, Rubio leads by 4.7 percent and Clinton leads by 3.6 percent. But an internal GOP poll that was in the field last week had Trump down in the high single digits and Rubio only narrowly ahead, sources who have seen it told me. If accurate, that means the senator must get about one in 10 voters to support a non-Republican for president and him for Senate. He will be able to get a fair number of crossover votes, but if Trump really collapses, it may not be enough.

► Donald Trump, Jr. was in Colorado on Monday in advance of his father’s visit today. Junior spoke at an event in Centennial before traveling to Boulder, where he did not hold court at The Sink. Also on Monday, new reports confirmed Junior making jokes about the Aurora Theater Shooting.

► The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce hosted a candidate forum on Monday that included Senator Michael Bennet (D-Denver) and Republican challenger Darryl Glenn. As 9News reports, Glenn just keeps saying whatever pops into his head:

Glenn’s inclusive language is different from the message he pushed during the primary. During the 9NEWS Republican debate, he declined to name a Democrat he got along with.

And he repeatedly gave interviews where he said bipartisanship won’t solve Washington’s problems.

But Glenn told the listeners at Monday’s forum that he wants “to be able to bring us together,” and “to be a part of the solution and not the problem.”

Glenn is rapidly losing whatever support he may have had from Colorado Republican leaders.

► Donald Trump isn’t just trying to discredit the American electoral process — he’s trying to kneecap the political media as well. Perhaps Trump realizes that the media is tiring of his boorish act in general.

► State Sen. Laura Waters Woods wants you to know that she forgives Donald Trump for his offensive comments toward women. Of course she does.

► Republican state Rep. Don Coram of Montrose appears to be the early favorite to win a vacancy appointment to replace retiring Sen. Ellen Roberts of Durango. From Charles Ashby of the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel:

Roberts’ resignation will be effective on Dec. 31, and the GOP central committee for her seat, Senate District 6, will have 15 days to chose a replacement.

Coram said he doesn’t expect the committee to meet until Jan. 14, meaning the seat won’t have a representative when the 2017 session of the Colorado Legislature convenes on Jan. 11.

► Lawmakers may consider ending Colorado’s practice of keeping car dealerships closed on Sundays, which isn’t making car dealers very happy.

► What’s going on in Weld County government these days? Well, the Greeley Tribune is glad you asked.

► You know your campaign has crossed the line when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dodges questions about whether he’s proud to be a supporter.

► Remember that time when Rep. Paul Ryan was Speaker of the House?

OTHER LINKS YOU SHOULD CLICK

► Former baseball player and outspoken jackass Curt Schilling says he will challenge Elizabeth Warren when the Massachusetts Senator seeks re-election in 2018. Democrats might have been nervous about this development if not for the fact that Schilling has a tendency to run into problems whenever he speaks.

► Arizona Sen. John McCain says that Republicans will refuse to accept any Supreme Court nomination that comes from a Hillary Clinton administration. If you’re looking for that part in the Constitution where this is allowed…um, yeah, it’s not in there.

ICYMI

► Americans still considering voting for Libertarian Gary Johnson for President might want to get more familiar with his policy ideas. 

Don’t forget to check out The Get More Smarter Show. You can also Get More Smarter by liking Colorado Pols on Facebook!