May 05, 2009 06:54 PM UTC

The Peril of "Fresh Faces"

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• by: Colorado Pols

A thoughtful writeup on Colorado GOP Senate contenders from The Hill’s Aaron Blake:

There is a good bit of early buzz about Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier and, to a lesser extent, Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck. But even supporters say it remains to be seen how formidable either will be – particularly on the fundraising front.

Republicans lately have been talking a lot about fresh faces, with mixed success in actually obtaining them. While the GOP has lined up current and former House members in most other open primaries, Colorado stands out as the one where they may be content to go with a wholly new brand…

“The [Democratic] tsunami has taken out a good many of the people who made up the Republican bench,” [consultant Katy] Atkinson said. “People are really kind of intrigued by Frazier, but they’re not willing to commit. And they may very well be intrigued by Buck, but he doesn’t have quite as much exposure with the rank-and-file Republicans.”

…It remains to be seen whether either Buck, Frazier or some other candidate gains that kind of momentum, but the early edge goes to Frazier, who has been earning rave reviews as he makes the rounds with conservative groups.

The state has also shown a proclivity for putting black Republicans in statewide office, having elected Secretary of State Vikki Buckley and Lt. Gov. Joe Rogers in the 1990s.

Buck, meanwhile, has stumbled out of the gate with an awkward launch. Even after his campaign website went live, Buck denied he was a candidate. Finally, just a day after making that denial, Buck officially entered the race.

But the state also has a history of electing law enforcement officers – the most notable being former Denver district attorney Ritter. Buck comes from a much smaller population base, though, and he’ll have to put in plenty of work to become known.

Blake goes on to note that if Buck and Frazier screw things up too badly with their “novelty,” Bob “The Closer” Beauprez is warming up in the bullpen. All in all, fairly close to our own assessment of this race–and relieving analysis for a certain fairly nervous appointed Senator.