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July 30, 2009 01:49 AM UTC

Wiens Heading Toward Run for U.S. Senate?

  • 31 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

Former State Senator Tom Wiens is apparently moving towards taking a shot at the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate.

When Wiens announced that he wouldn’t run again for the State Senate last year, it was widely believed that he was clearing his plate to make a run for Governor in 2010. That never materialized, of course, and since then we’ve heard repeated rumors that all was not well with Wiens’ personal financial situation–as indicated as well by a Denver Post story last week.  

We’re not surprised that other Republicans are now looking at the U.S. Senate race after less than inspiring early runs (and fundraising) by Weld County D.A. Ken Buck and Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier.

If Wiens is in a good personal financial position to make a serious run for U.S. Senate, he shouldn’t have much trouble moving to the top of the GOP list. Buck is the favorite at this point, and barring a huge fundraising turnaround in Q3, Frazier’s campaign is pretty well D.O.A., so there is a definite opening on the Republican side for a candidate with better name ID and a stronger background like Wiens. In a Senate race that should be more competitive than it appears thus far, perhaps it was only a matter of time until a more realistic GOP candidate came along. Whether or not that candidate is Wiens remains to be seen.

Comments

31 thoughts on “Wiens Heading Toward Run for U.S. Senate?

  1. that his fundraising is better than his spelling.

    The Tom Wiens “Exploritory” Committee?

    Someone needs to hire some editors or something. Sounds like he’s one of the Dead Guvs from Pols or something! 🙂

    1. Which is how he ended up raising jack shit in the most important fundraising quarter of his life. You like Frazier, we get it, but the facts are the facts. If he had the support you claim, he wouldn’t have been outraised 3-to-1 by a guy (Buck) who isn’t all that well known himself.

      1. And he’s done. He’s completely unknown to most people, and there will be no air to breathe if he can’t show a real capacity to raise money. We’ve said it since day one – this is way too big of a leap for someone to make when their only elected office is city council.

            1. My question is: who does Wiens harm more with his entry? Does he take away support in metro Denver from Frazier or does he hit up the GOP establishment and rural crowd going to Buck?

              After looking at his old state senate website, I’m inclined to think his cowboy shtick (he seems to love his hat almost as much as Salazar – http://tomwiens.com/contents.p… ) is more likely to appeal to the Buck crowd but I might be wrong.

              1. Wiens more harms whoever is benefiting from the “We Want a Winner” crowd. But you’re right, he’s not the hot-shot new face of the GOP like Frazier and would probably draw from the same likely voters as Buck.

      2. Most voters don’t give a crap about funds raised year(s) earlier in a quarter, only political junkies. What, is Bennet going to run on a record against Frazier saying “he’s raised more money?”

        Giuliani and Clinton started as the one’s with all the money flowing in, and look at it now.

        1. A-bob, this is such a tired argument. Of COURSE voters don’t care about money raised this early, but important supporters and big-time donors DO care. Frazier has not impressed those folks, and that’s the campaign before the campaign. If you lose the campaign before the campaign, you never get to the point where you even start talking to voters. Frazier may be charismatic, blah, blah, blah, but NONE OF THAT MATTERS if he can’t raise the money to get his ass on TV and show that to the average primary voters (who are not the same people who vote in silly straw polls).

          Big donors give money to candidates who look like winners, and the first quarter is always the most important for an unknown candidate like Frazier. People looked at that quarter to see if he was the real deal or not. He failed. There’s no spinning that.

  2. If he can bring in the money, he could quickly become the strongest candidate.  He’s starting a little late though — Bennet’s warchest is pretty big…

  3. Ryan Frazier is working it – way too early to count him out – he’ll hit his stride on this next quarter – mark my words

    I don’t think Bennet knows how to campaign for nothing…. that said, my inside source tells me that some major 527 money (MAJOR) is heading out to help Bennet, and it ain’t coming from Gill/Bridges/Stryker/Polis either….

    Lastly – don’t count BB out on this one, is what my other ‘inside’ sources are saying…

    should be a fun race – GO GOP!!!!!

    1. have a mastery of the obvious but get lost in the details. Polis and Bridges haven’t been part of that group for some time, though Republican parents still scare their children by whispering their names as the lights go out. And Beauprez got the message earlier this year when he floated his trial balloon — no one’s interested.

        1. if Beauprez threw his hat into the ring. I can’t read his mind, but by all accounts he is quite happy in his retirement and could read the tea leaves when there was absolutely no clamor for him to jump in the race. But if he wants to run in a year when Penry will be loudly bashing the tired, old congressional Republicans, he’s a more foolhardy candidate than I thought.

    2. Muhammad’s Inside Source tells him that Phil Anschutz is going to spend truckloads of 527 money to support Bennet and McInnis in the same year.  

      Brilliant!  

    3. are also telling him to sip cat blood and channel Michael Jackson every Thursday.  Those voices in the head can give a lot of conflicting advice.  I’d lay off the Cheetos and eat more salads to calm down these voices you are hearing dude.

      Maybe the Repubs can import Sarah Palin and really get a bunch of mixed up metaphors for their donor dollars.  

    4. If Bob Beauprez enters ANY political race, then I will donate $20 to the candidate of your choice.

      If he doesn’t, you have to donate $20 to the candidate of my choice.

      Deal?

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