(D) J. Hickenlooper*
(D) Julie Gonzales
(R) Janak Joshi
80%
40%
20%
(D) Jena Griswold
(D) M. Dougherty
(D) Hetal Doshi
50%
40%↓
30%
(D) Jeff Bridges
(D) Brianna Titone
(R) Kevin Grantham
50%↑
40%↓
30%
(D) Diana DeGette*
(D) Wanda James
(D) Milat Kiros
80%
20%
10%↓
(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
(R) Jeff Hurd*
(D) Alex Kelloff
(R) H. Scheppelman
60%↓
40%↓
30%↑
(R) Lauren Boebert*
(D) E. Laubacher
(D) Trisha Calvarese
90%
30%↑
20%
(R) Jeff Crank*
(D) Jessica Killin
55%↓
45%↑
(D) Jason Crow*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
(D) B. Pettersen*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
(R) Gabe Evans*
(D) Shannon Bird
(D) Manny Rutinel
45%↓
30%
30%
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
AP's Ivan Moreno: [An election reform] bill of more than 100 pages is expected to be introduced this week, likely sparking a big partisan fight over whether the changes benefit one party over the other. Supporters of the changes, which also include eliminating the so-called "inactive voter" status, say the goal is to make voting […]
​We got the tip a couple of days ago about an upcoming fundraiser for embattled Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler. Apparently for $50 donated to his re-election campaign–we assume it's his re-election campaign and not his legal defense fund–he's giving out signed copies of the recent Westword issue featuring himself on the cover done […]
At least he's not your future county Republican party chair… unless he is. Earlier today, Jason broke the story that Dave Williams, aspiring El Paso County Republican Party Chairman, doesn't regret booing the Log Cabin Republicans at a Republican party assembly in May. Tonight, Williams was again asked to apologize for booing the GBLT Republican group, […]
Kristen Wyatt of the Associated Press reports, and no denying this doesn't look good: Colorado's embattled energy development office is plagued by misspending, sloppy accounting and high turnover, according to a blistering state audit released Tuesday. The review blasted the Colorado Energy Office for a number of issues, including not keeping track of travel expenses […]
(Hanging their heads, no doubt – promoted by Colorado Pols) As civil-unions legislation hits the home stretch at the State Capitol, along with a bill granting in-state tuition to undocumented college students, let’s take a moment to encourage reporters to recall a jump-up-and-down-arms-waving op-ed that appeared in The Denver Post, just days after the election: […]
UPDATE: GOP attorney Mario Nicolais responds that it was “a fun thought to mull over,” but he will not be running for Attorney General in 2014.
—–
Late last month, for Colorado Sen. Ken Gordon filed to run in 2014 for Colorado Secretary of State–against incumbent Scott Gessler, or another Republican in the entirely plausible event Gessler decides not to run again. Gordon ran for Secretary of State in 2006, losing to Mike Coffman by a fairly narrow margin. Gordon is not the only Democrat feeling out a possible run for SoS in 2014, however, another name making the rounds being CU Regent Joe Neguse.
In other campaign scuttlebutt, we’ve heard that Republican attorney Mario Nicolais, of reapportionment and Coloradans for Freedom fame, is looking at a run for Attorney General in 2014 to replace the term-limited incumbent John Suthers. After Suthers’ strident activism from his office against things like marriage equality, the avowedly pro-civil unions Nicolais would be an interesting curveball–and potentially quite controversial in a GOP primary.
Between now and New Year’s Eve, Colorado Pols is recapping the top ten stories in Colorado politics from the 2012 election year.
We and many others predicted in 2010 that Scott Gessler, a Republican election law attorney unexpectedly elected Colorado Secretary of State, would easily prove to be the most partisan and controversial chief elections officer in the state’s modern history. In the two years since, he has certainly lived up to that prediction.
What we didn’t predict is that Gessler would be so very, very bad at it.
The narrative of Gessler’s tenure as Colorado Secretary of State up to now is one of two tracks: spectacularly failed attempts at misusing his power for overtly partisan aims, and surprising brushes with relatively petty financial scandal that could actually prove to be the more immediate threat to his career and credibility.
Since taking office, Gessler has been a darling of conservative activists around the nation who are convinced, among other things, that improperly registered noncitizen voters are committing large-scale election fraud. Gessler has repeatedly thrown out dubious claims of “thousands” of noncitizen voters on the rolls in Colorado without supporting evidence. This fall, Gessler sent letters requesting verification of citizenship to some 4,000 registered voters (less than half the 11,000+ figure Gessler had touted the previous year), and of those 4,000 inquiries, Westword’s Sam Levin reports they have ultimately resulted in the cancelation of 88 voter registrations–and it’s not known how many of them had actually voted. Based on previous results, a very small fraction of those 88 at most.
Bottom line: Gessler has perhaps done more to disprove the myth of widespread election fraud from “noncitizen voters” than his liberal opponents. The pitiful results of Gessler’s two-year effort to root out what is a tiny number of problem registrations, while so many other unresolved issues with our elections surely have resulted in the loss of many more than 88 votes, is a stunning self-administered rebuke to the conspiracist right wing. It’s even worse if you consider Gessler’s fixation on this while actively obstructing legislative attempts to sensibly resolve the “inactive voter” controversy from 2011, which involved so many more people.
Combined with all the other questionable incidents in Gessler’s two years in office, from hosting a fundraiser to pay off fines levied by his office on fellow Republicans to his now-infamous remark that a “good election” is when “Republicans win,” and what you have is a man fundamentally making a mockery of a solemn responsibility–and not even doing that very well. It’s so poorly executed, and so obviously improper, that it’s really quite tawdry.
“Tawdry” also sums up the other emerging narrative of Gessler’s time as Secretary of State. Gessler’s very first controversy after taking office in 2011 was his announcement that he intended to keep working part time at his old elections law firm–a decision brought about, according to Gessler, by the hardship of living on the Secretary of State’s salary of $70,000 a year. While we and others are not unsympathetic regarding the low salaries paid some of our highest public officials in Colorado, Gessler’s proposed solution was a conflict-of-interest disaster waiting to happen. After a public outcry, Gessler announced he had changed his mind.
As it turns out, Gessler discovered other ways to beat the high cost of living! Questionable reimbursements for travel expenses to partisan events, including a “True the Vote” press conference in Washington D.C. and events surrounding and including the Republican National Convention in Tampa this year, are now the subject of both an ethics commission inquiry and a Denver DA criminal investigation. Another instance of Gessler “sweeping” the entire balance of his discretionary account into his pocket at the end of the fiscal year has raised more questions.
Republican friends tell us that Gessler is exceptionally intelligent, so most of what he does has presumably been thought through. What we can’t understand is the ultimate goal for him. He apparently doesn’t think he can really rise to a high post as an elected official, because if he did, he wouldn’t do things like empty the petty cash account. The easy-to-see political damage is tremendously more harmful than the trade off of a small amount of money, and he must know that. Gessler takes heat for his behavior over and over, but he doesn’t seem to care–which makes him dangerous for every other Republican.
So many controversies in only two years have led to calls for Gessler’s recall (a highly improbable prospect under Colorado’s stiff recall petition requirements)–and more recently, changing the office of Secretary of State into some kind of nonpartisan position. Certainly Democrats will mount an aggressive bid for the office in 2014, and many insiders expect Gessler won’t run again for the job–perhaps opting instead for a sacrificial lamb campaign against Gov. John Hickenlooper, followed by a return to much more profitable private practice.
But it’s been a wild ride, made less of a shock only by his repeated failures.
It’s amazing what you can learn from an exhausted reindeer stopping by the barn for a hot mash before making his long journey back to the North pole. Straight from the reindeer’s mouth (by way of a certain Progressive CowPony acting as translator), a special Christmas bulletin on Santa’s visit to Colorado politicians’ households. Although some of Colorado’s elected officials landed on the naughty list, Santa (concerned that a lump of coal would be mistaken for a lobbyist’s gift) dropped personalized presents down the chimney for several figures of political prominence. Here’s a sampling:
Governor John Hickenlooper: Cheetos and goldfish.
State Senator Brophy: An industrial strength slingshot, so those melons won’t go unmolested after gun control passes.
Secretary of State Scott Gessler: One threatening letter, which may be used to escape responsibility for one future abuse of public funds.
Congressman Jared Polis: A partridge in a pear tree. He already had everything else…
Representative Max Tyler: Family-sized box of Enstrom’s milk chocolate toffee.
Congressman Ed Perlmutter: Winter coats for his staff, currently freezing in their mandatory ponchos.
Representative Jonathan Singer: Get-out-of-trouble-free card permitting ONE, and ONLY one “joint committee” or “high stakes” pun about Amendment 64 on the House floor.
Brian Watson: Free entry into an adult spelling bee.
Lang Sias: A newer edition of Photoshop for better sign clean-up the NEXT time he’s heralded as a “rising star” when jumping into a clearly lost race against a solid incumbent.
Attorney General John Suthers: A raise, pre-wrapped for regifting to the next person to hold his seat.
Representative Dan Pabon: Diapers and one good night’s sleep.
Secretary Ken Salazar: Large punch bowl, to be filled and kept handy for the next time a journalist upsets him. What are you talking about? He just offered that reporter a festive beverage! See, there’s another gallon of it right here, have a cup.
Congressman Mike Coffman: Body double willing to occasionally talk to CD6 constituents.
Denver Post Editorial Board: A list of people who may possibly run for Congress in 2014, besides the incumbents–with two years’ lead time, who knows, maybe they’ll endorse one.
If anyone else has Christmas intel on what Colorado’s boldface names found under their trees, post it in the comments…
We’re obliged to note Westword’s report out yesterday:
Secretary of State Scott Gessler has faced a lot of pushback for his efforts to identify immigrants who are illegally on Colorado’s voter rolls. But over the summer, those criticisms escalated to a new level when he received multiple violent threats, some targeting his family. Through an Open Records request, we now have new details on one disturbing phone call and the subsequent investigation — and more information is expected this week.
While the threats took place over the summer — and death threats toward politicians are not all that uncommon — these cases have a lot of significance now and will continue to be important in the coming months.
Why?
Because Gessler, a Republican and the state’s chief election officer, is currently the focus of criminal and ethics investigations, both the result of complaints from Colorado Ethics Watch, a watchdog group that has closely scrutinized Gessler on a number of issues. Based on open records requests it filed with the Secretary of State’s office, in October Ethics Watch alleged that Gessler had misused state funds for travels outside the scope of his office.
As Westword’s Sam Levin reports, a call placed to the state’s election information line last August turned into a long rant about the letters Gessler sent over the summer to registered voters he dubiously “suspected” may not be citizens. The caller said Republicans “should be shot in the head,” and indicated that “many people” know where Gessler’s family lives.
The call was investigated by the CBI, but Denver DA Mitch Morrissey declined to press charges. Investigation reportedly reveals this person made a similar threat toward Rep. Doug Lamborn last year, and Levin’s retelling of the CBI report paints a picture of a harmless, albeit very stupid, crackpot. That said, we don’t think anyone will dispute the necessity of taking any such threats made against the Secretary of State or his family seriously.
In terms of the investigation(s) underway regarding Gessler’s alleged misuse of discretionary funds, however, Westword’s Open Records Act request explains only one detail among numerous questionable incidents–from using these funds to attend partisan events at all, to “sweeping” the account empty at fiscal year’s end in a check to himself. Sympathy for Gessler over threats made against him or his family, which we’ll say again are totally unacceptable, doesn’t extend to excusing unethical or illegal behavior on his part.
But if any of you happen to recognize this crackpot, please let him know he’s not helping.
On his profile on his Facebook page, Denver Post Politics Editor Chuck Plunkett writes:
Please note. As a journalist using social media, my following or friending or liking — and in some cases even retweeting or reposting — is not always meant as an endorsement.
This is a shorter version of a post Plunkett wrote shortly before the election on Facebook:
Friends. I’ve been asked about this a couple of times in recent days, as we are now fully in the final throes of the Election season. The question is whether as a journalist who covers politics it is correct for me to “like” the Obama page or the Romney page. (And I “like” them both.) The problem is that is how Facebook defines what you have to do to follow a page. That’s not — in most cases — how I would describe my interest. I might genuinely “like” a band, for example. But a politician? It’s not the same thing. I’d like to expand on what I have long indicated on my Facebook profile — which probably not everyone reads. For years now, since my earliest origins with Facebook, I have contained in my profile the disclaimer that as a journalist using social media I “friend” and “follow” and “subscribe” and “like” and “retweet” and etc. all manner of people, groups, media, politicians, movements, companies, nonprofits, etc. But my doing so is NOT meant as an endorsement. Rather, I do so in order to see their posts in order to watch for news and whatnot. Increasingly, politicians use social media in the place of the old-school press release or statement. To not follow risks missing something — not that I don’t miss things even when I follow, given what has become the enormous success of these kinds of sites. I hope this makes sense. Bottom line: I do not endorse any politician or political party and do not advocate for any of them either. I have much better things to do with my time.
To me, that’s common sense, but it’s good Plunkett spells it out for us.
You say, still, what if a guy like Plunkett “likes” or “friends” 100 right-wing groups and 25 lefty ones? What if he re-tweets Scott Gessler (as if Gessler doesn’t tweet his own horn often enough)? Does it mean he favors the right?
It means little or nothing. You don’t know what Plunkett is up to or where he’s getting information, unless you’re a mind reader, and mind readers are the worst kind of media critics–though they are a common kind.
Re-posting, and retweeting, even “likes,” by other public figures, like politicians, invite questions, however.
The bottom line is, for journalists, if you think they lean one way or the other, evaluate their actual factual work. Is it fair? Is it accurate?
Every 10 years Colorado is without a high-profile statewide election (U.S. Senate, Governor, AG, Treasurer, Sec. of State), and we’re damn glad to see that election cycle in our rear-view mirror. That’s five whole races that we couldn’t pontificate about in the 2012 cycle.
Take a look at left to see the first version of The Big Line: 2014. The first new Big Line of the cycle is usually more question than answer, but steady losses by Republicans in 2010 and 2012 have narrowed down considerably the list of potential 2014 candidates.
Click after the jump for a brief rundown of the who and why in The Big Line: 2014.
We posted our ‘Losers’ separately. Here are the Winners:
1. Colorado Media
Perhaps it was because Colorado had such national prominence as a top swing state, but whatever the reason, Colorado media outlets did an excellent job in their campaign coverage. What was different? The change was subtle but important: follow-up questions.
Too many reporters, particularly TV reporters, get so attached to their list of questions that they don’t ask important follow-up questions. There was a great example of this in Missouri, in the infamous interview in which Rep. Todd Akin made his “legitimate rape” comments. Those two words re-elected Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, and they certainly damaged Republican candidates across the country who were asked their opinion of the statement. But what is often forgotten is that the reporter (who later apologized) didn’t ask a follow-up question. Really. Akin made one of the most important political statements of the year, and when he was done, his interviewer moved on to another question.
By contrast, reporters in Colorado dogged Republican Rep. Mike Coffman after a tape emerged of him saying that President Obama was “not an American,” with one TV reporter catching him on the sidewalk; Coffman never answered the reporter directly, but his ducking and dodging on-camera said more than enough. The media may not always get the story right, but by asking a few extra questions instead of just tossing softballs, they can help voters understand more about the candidates.
2. Reality
Republicans rode the “smaller government, lower taxes” mantra to moderate success in the past decade, but in 2012 voters finally decided to do the math themselves. Whether it was questioning Mitt Romney’s implausible budget & tax cut math, or whether they just started seeing more needs locally, voters in Colorado made it clear that they want their government to actually work. School bond measures that failed in 2008 were easily approved in Jefferson County, Denver, and Cherry Creek, among others. Republicans attacked Democrat Andy Kerr for being the face of an anti-TABOR lawsuit, but Kerr still defeated Ken Summers for a Jefferson County Senate seat.
Generic negative ads about the cost of “Obamacare” or the auto bailout weren’t effective anywhere, and poll after poll showed that voters favored broad ideas like environmental protection even after hearing arguments that it could slow economic growth. Nobody wants to pay more in taxes, but voters are no longer willing to risk our basic infrastructure (roads, bridges, schools, etc.) just to save a couple of bucks.
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) Compared to the 2010 election in Colorado, this one has been mostly a snoozer, journalistically. But the 2010 election wasn’t really an election. It was a dramatic comedy show, with so many stories to tell and scandals to uncover that journalists almost couldn’t help but be stars. Still, reporters […]
Denver City Clerk Debra Johnson, who’s famously sparred in the past with Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler over “inactive voters, “is offering some relief for those Denver residents unable to register online through Gessler’s portal.
From Johnson:
Due to intermittent outages in the GoVoteColorado.com website Denver residents who wish to register to vote are asked to download the PDF voter registration form.
Fax form to: 720-913-8600
Scan and e-mail it to: voterregistration@denvergov.org
Hand deliver or mail to Denver Elections Division (must be postmarked October 9, 2012)
Our address is 200 W. 14th Ave. Suite 100, Denver CO 80204 (Corner of 14th Ave. and Bannock)
The failure of Gessler’s system so close to a deadline, of course, only adds credibility to Johnson’s argument and legal contention that elections are best managed locally. If Gessler can’t even handle registration properly, why should he be able to dictate who’s allowed to vote on municipal issues?
Although Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler might just be doing everything in his power to make sure you can’t use his office’s online portal to register to vote in this year’s election, if you live in Jefferson County, there’s still hope!
From the Jefferson County Clerk’s office:
The deadline to register to vote in the 2012 Presidential Election is Tuesday, October 9, 2012.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 6, 2012.
Voters in Jefferson County will have a choice of casting a ballot by mail, during early voting, October 22 through November 2, or on Election Day at their precinct polling place. Voters registering after October, will be registered to vote, but will not be eligible to vote in the Presidential Election.
Voters can register to vote or update their voter registration information by visiting any of the County Clerk’s branch locations or by visiting GoVoteColorado.com.
“We are encouraging everybody who wants to vote in this election to make sure their registration information is up to date so they are eligible to vote in November,” said Pam Anderson, Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder.
If you’re able, registering at the County Clerk’s office or any of the six satellite locations is still your best option. If you’re not, however, and if you can’t log on to Gessler’s GoVoteColorado.com, you can alternatively fill out and sign an online form and e-mail it to elections@votejeffco.us. So long as that form is returned to the clerk’s office by 11:59 PM tonight, you should be able to cast a ballot this year.
More information is available at the Jefferson County Elections Division.
UPDATE #2: FOX 31’s Eli Stokols: Many Coloradans attempting to register to vote in the election that is now exactly four weeks away are having a hard time using the Secretary of State’s website, which is apparently overloaded ahead of Tuesday’s midnight registration deadline. With hundreds, perhaps thousands of Coloradans receiving an error message, the […]
Colorado Ethics Watch Legal Filings link to CORA response Oct 04, 2012 Record Response Reveals Colorado Investigation Of GOP Voter Registration Firm Legal, Open Records Requests, Policy, Clean Elections In response to a Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) request from Ethics Watch, the Colorado Secretary of State’s office disclosed that a voter registration firm that […]
UPDATE: FOX 31’s Eli Stokols connects the dots: FOX31 Denver has confirmed that the young woman seen registering voters outside a Colorado Springs grocery store in a YouTube video, in which she admits to trying to only register voters who support Mitt Romney, was indeed a contract employee of Sproul’s company. —– NBC News reports: […]
A coalition of nonprofit organizations including the Interfaith Alliance, Vote Vets Foundation, and the League of Women Voters sent out a press release this morning warning of some 80,000 Colorado voters who have opted for “permanent” vote by mail status, but are now “inactive failed to vote” in the voter registry simply for not voting […]
7NEWS: The Colorado Secretary of State’s office says the so-called “personhood” amendment will not be on the November ballot, despite any legal action from proponents to prove they collected enough voter signatures. Secretary of State spokesman Andrew Cole tells the Denver Post the deadline for ballot certification was Monday. Even if a judge rules personhood […]
Of the many snippets we were forwarded this week about Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler’s latest attempt to challenge the citizenship of voters he “believes” may not be legally registered–a campaign headed for failure as the results appear to make a joke of Gessler’s dire predictions–this audio of an exchange between Deputy Secretary of […]
While much of Colorado has focused on Scott Gessler’s voter suppression, Mike Coffman’s hiding from constituents, and frequent local visits from the President of the United States, as well as the POTUS-wannabe, many Aurorans have been recovering from one of the worst mass shootings in Colorado history. In Aurora, everyone knew someone who knew someone […]
UPDATE #2: “Personhood” backers vow to fight on, as the Huffington Post reports: A spokeswoman for Personhood USA, the anti-abortion group behind the nationwide push for fetal personhood laws, contended that the Secretary of State’s office had made a mistake in counting the ballots. “We have more than enough valid signatures that were discounted by […]
Can’t see the audio player? Click here. It’s been playing heavily on local radio for a few days now, but we didn’t want this significant radio ad buy to escape mention. FOX 31’s Eli Stokols reported last week: “Earlier this year Republican leadership recklessly shut down the legislature and stopped working, refusing even to debate […]
As we get past the halfway point in the August congressional recess this election year, we’ve seen many members of the Colorado delegation holding town hall meetings. The availability of our members has varied, ranging from Rep. Jared Polis, who has held a truly commendable number of town halls this month, to Republican Cory Gardner’s […]
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