(Another politician on the dole, decrying government spending… – promoted by ClubTwitty)
POLS UPDATE: Just one question, from the Grand Junction Sentinel’s coverage of Penry’s announcement:
Penry has now traveled regularly over the Continental Divide to Denver as a state representative, now a state senator, for five years. While he’s been a legislator, his family has been 250 miles away in Grand Junction.
In the coming months as he pursues the Republican nomination for governor, he’ll travel the state, but not alone.
Penry, his wife, Jamie, son, Chase, 7, and daughter, Emma, 3, gradually will pull up stakes and move to Denver as his bid proceeds. [Pols emphasis]
No doubt they’ve got this all arranged to pass muster legally–though the appearances are, fair to say, subject to negative spin. We suppose he’ll pop in for a town hall or two in his titular Senate district, right? Original post follows…
—
According to Lynn Bartels in today’s Denver Post Senator Josh Penry will not resign from the Senate in order to run for governor.
Penry says he has no intention of resigning his leadership post or his state Senate seat while running for governor.
Speculation has swirled for weeks that Penry, a Grand Junction Republican, might step down before the 2010 session. Two years ago, Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald resigned her seat to focus on her congressional race.
As Joan Fitz-Gerald points out in the article, this presents several problems for Penry’s campaign.
Fitz-Gerald, a Jefferson County Democrat, lost the 2nd Congressional District primary but said her situation was different than Penry’s because she oversaw the Senate and he’s in charge of his caucus. Still …
“More power to him if he thinks he can do both jobs,” Fitz-Gerald said. “I don’t see how.”
And she said fundraising is an issue.
State law bans donations from lobbyists “or their principals” to elected officials and state candidates while the legislature is in session. That means all the gubernatorial candidates are affected.
But Fitz-Gerald noted that much of being a candidate is spending hours on the phone raising money, and Penry will be tied up during the session.
Penry is already going to have money woes on the campaign trail in my opinion. Once he picks the low-hanging fruit from the far-right donors, that will pretty much be it for him. Ritter and McInnis both have far more extensive donor lists and fundraising capabilities than Penry, and both men appeal more to the mainstream than Penry. Staying in his Senate seat will make his life even harder, but I guess he has to earn a living somewhere, since he’s never done it in the private sector. Josh “Public Dole” Penry; milking it for all it’s worth.
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I’m sure he’s trying to avoid getting pinned with the “ambitious political ladder climber” tag, but it’s exactly like JFG says: Penry’s hands will be largely tied next year during the legislative session.
One thing this article fails to grasp, though, is that 527 and non-candidate committees, rather than the candidates themselves, are going to be the biggest spenders in the gubernatorial campaign.
Still, it’s going to be tough for Penry to meet all the commitments necessary to be both a senator and a statewide candidate. He’ll undoubtedly have to miss votes to go campaigning down south or on the western slope, which could give ammo to Scott McInnis in the primary (“Penry missed more votes than any other Senator. If he’s this ambitious as a legislator, what can we expect from him as Governor?” [slow pan shows empty chair at the governor’s desk. Fade out.]) as well as Governor Ritter in the general.
It is not like he makes much money in the Senate, so why give your opponent an opportunity to exploit this “issue.”
If so, he could hold the seat till late December then “revisit the issue” and decide that the best thing is to resign then.
He’s not rich so his legislative salary matters. On the plus side, it means he’s not on the take 🙂
First never put your feet in concrete.
A simple I will consult with my caucus would have been enough.
Second never give your primary opponent the hook to say you may not run.
Third what do you do when either Senator Refro, Lundberg, Schultheis wake up one day and realize they have not gotten enough press attention and decide to do something about it. Penry cannot control his caucus and many of the GOP Senators will happily say or do anything to get their name in the paper. Not a good thing for an aspiring Governor seeking to reach out to Democrats.
Penry may not be ready for prime time after all.
As Penry works through the difficulty of trying to be minority leader and campaign, and as he watches McInnis raise money that he won’t be able raise during the session – he just might change his mind. I think its noble, but unrealistic that he wants to keep his seat and not resign. Too many folks resigning these days. Its bad for democracy. In the end however, I think Penry will have to do the same.
If Penry resigned then someone could replace him who would be able to be a full-time senator. If Penry decides to keep his seat just in case he doesn’t get elected governor, then he’s doing a disservice to his constituents by not being able to serve them 100% of the time.
This move isn’t about nobility, it’s about Josh Penry covering his bases.
When Ritter didn’t raise squat the word was that it didn’t matter because the govs race was heavy on 527 money. I didn’t buy that then but that was the conventional wisdom. Now when Penry will have obvious fundraising issues it’s a story?
that Ritter’s fundraising was weak a year and a half before the election (but seems to be picking up now). Penry is tying his hands during the run-up to the state convention and will only have three months to campaign full time before the primary.
When was the last time anyone was elected governor that wasn’t from the front range? John Love was from Colo. Springs. Everyone since has been from the Denver metro. Anyone know their Colorado history?
but Roy Romer, though he’d lived on the Front Range for some time, wasn’t really from the Front Range. But Texan Bill Owens’ political base was in Aurora and Wisconsinite Dick Lamm’s was in south Denver.
He was from Maybell. Also served as Senator. The Johnson Tunnel on I-70 is named after him.
ago. I think this is not coincidental. This posting hints at some of the practical problems that someone can have with seeking statewide office from the hinterlands. I think this will be a big as problem for Penry as anything.
I understand the issues of how it can look moving to denver while being a state senator from somewhere else, but isn’t Penry’s move smart so he can have that central base and build up his support in the urban areas?
After a hugely successful campaign kickoff announcement, a statewide tour with out of control press coverage and an overall impressive impression of how Penry will run a campaign, this is all you people have? Grasping at straws to say the least.
How about Ritter resigns as governor (how can he be governor while campaigning to be governor?!), McInnis resigns his $500,000/year salary job at Hogan and Hartson and Penry resigns so they can all campaign for the job without neglecting their current jobs?
The argument is absurd.
I’m not sure what your argument is.
Penry won’t be able to raise money during the legislative session. Are you saying that’s a benefit to him?
whatever Josh told him it should be.
He’s completely full of shit.
State officials can’t raise funds from lobbyists and the people who employ them during the session.
The difference is more a matter of time available for campaigning. During the first four months of next year, Ritter will have a lot more say over his own schedule than Penry will over his. McInnis, for what it’s worth, won’t face either the fundraising restrictions or state business setting his schedule.
When people say it’s not the money, it usually is, but in this case, I think those who say “it’s not the money,” are right.
Look, the issue is that Penry is a novice at this level, and he didn’t have a great session last year. His caucus ran amok, and he [was unable to] refused to control it. He needs (at least) a year in which he can demonstrate that he can actually govern something. I think it will take more than a single year (more like 10!), but his performance as a leader in the 2010 session will make or break the campaign.
If he governs the Colorado that presumes itself to be “center right,” he’ll have a shot, and the money will come in from moderate Republicans. If he “governs” like he did last year, “trickle down” will be an apt description of his war chest only, and Ritter can rest safely among the PURPLE mountain majesty of our state.
this is all Palin’s fault. Penry will hang on to his office no matter the cost, terrified of being labeled another GOP goldbricking defeatist quitter! That and, as mentioned above, the fact of his addiction to the nanny state, which he has been suckling his entire adult life. Clearly in these difficult times, the state must work to rein in costs by asking Penry to step down immediately.
If they move their domicile, for example, from Grand Junction to Denver, they can’t serve as a state senator from Grand Junction because their domicile is no longer within that West Slope senate district. Sen. Penry better keep the fmaily in Grand Junction until the end of the legislative session next year. If he doesn’t handle this correctly, there could be a question about whether he has to leave his seat before he wants to.
I have been hearing rumors he put his home up for sale. Can anyone confirm this?
State constitution says a candidate must live in the district for 12 months prior to the election.
Nothing much in there about after the election.
From Article V:
If you find anything else, let me know, because this is a subject of interest to me.