(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%
Following up on last week’s story, briefly discussed here, of University of Colorado President Bruce Benson’s “media relations advice” to quickly pass a large tuition increase on in-state students, citing damaging “opportunities the media has” to question doing so. Coming on the heels of revelations of large salary increases for top CU officials, this little […]
Mesa County really does have some Democrats who are willing to run for office. To me the interesting thing about this is that they are all either retired or about to retire. That probably isn’t unusual, given the demographics of the county. During the last bust cycle the county decided to ask retirees to relocate […]
For the entirety of the HD-9 primary campaign between Democrats Paul Rosenthal and Bill McMullen, Rosenthal has campaigned like an incumbent. He’s swept up every single relevant endorsement in the area and capitalized on momentum acquired by jumping into the race at the earliest moment he could.
Noted for the record, then, is one of the more in-your-face press releases we’ve seen in any primary campaign. From the Rosenthal campaign:
ROSENTHAL CRUSHES RTD DIRECTOR BILL MCMULLEN IN DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS UNPRECEDENTED WIN WITH 81% OF VOTE
DENVER, March 7, 2012 – Paul Rosenthal, Democratic candidate for Colorado State House District 9, won the Democratic Caucuses against RTD Director, Bill McMullen, with 81% of the vote.
“This is a grassroots victory. We won almost every precinct by going neighbor to neighbor and being the progressive voice for economic and social justice. Southeast Denver has spoken loud and clear. Democrats have chosen me to be their voice for working families across Colorado. I have a proven track record of getting results.”
Rosenthal’s campaign knocked on over 350 doors, made over 1,300 phone calls, put together 5 events, and held a live telephone town hall two days before the Democratic Caucuses. Rosenthal also worked to pump up small businesses by holding the First Annual Sample of Southeast Denver, which featured a culinary and entertainment soiree with food from five local restaurants, at Aerial Dance Over Denver.
On Caucus night on Tuesday, Rosenthal told a crowd of Democrats at Thomas Jefferson High School, “We can’t get to where we need to go by cutting: K-12, Higher ed, Mental health, and Medicaid. All were cut. No more cuts! No more cutting while Colorado’s big oil and gas companies get $300 million in tax breaks.”
Rosenthal will go on to the Denver County and Multi-county Assemblies with 83 delegates from the Denver County preference poll. McMullen attained 9 delegates, and 11 are currently uncommitted. Delegates from Arapahoe County’s precincts in Colorado House District 9 are not included in this figure, but Rosenthal won all these precinct straw polls with unanimous support.
Reading that press release, it almost seems as though Rosenthal was surprised to have “crushed” McMullen. Really, given the invisibility of McMullen’s campaign so far, we’re surprised Rosenthal only got 81% of the vote. Still, if Rosenthal was trying to drive home the inevitability of his selection as the eventual Democratic nominee, at least one person was listening.
From Bill McMullen’s letter to Democratic Party of Denver Chair Cindy Lowery-Graber:
Dear Cindy,
Per this letter I am officially dropping from the race in house district nine. It has been a wonderful process, and I have enjoyed the campaign. However, the Democrats’ have spoken and I have heard it. I want to inform you that during this primary race both sides acted in a manner that all Democrats would be pleased, and proud of. The officers of our party are outstanding, as our members. I am now going to look forward to being a constituent of State Representative Paul Rosenthal.
Sincerely,
Bill McMullen, committeeperson 930
McMullen probably should’ve dropped out of this race long before Denver Democrats had a chance to make their voices heard in the selection process; he’s lost a fair amount of political capital by continuing his shoestring campaign in light of Rosenthal’s success.
Still, McMullen shouldn’t be discouraged by his poor showing this time around – no matter how much Rosenthal’s press releases would like him to be. After all, presumptive nominee Paul Rosenthal himself lost a hard-fought primary bid against Joe Miklosi in 2008. That Rosenthal was able to rise from the ashes of his own defeat for this same seat should be evidence enough that McMullen may be able to try again another year.
AP via 9NEWS, the story today on every channel: U.S. employers added 227,000 jobs in February to complete three of the best months of hiring since the recession began. The unemployment rate was unchanged, largely because more people streamed into the work force. The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate stayed at 8.3 […]
Silly season has come early this year, as demonstrated by a week’s worth of lewdness by elected officials, those who’d like to be elected officials, and those who like to be thorns in the sides of elected officials. After reading about Senator Brophy’s outrageously offensive comments, and today’s classy contribution from Matt Arnold, it may […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) [Note to Pols readers who agree that it’s worth airing out the misinformation on talk radio: If you want to help me hold the shows accountable, please get in touch at tips@bigmedia.org.] The media frenzy around Rush Limbaugh’s “slut” comment last week, referring to a woman who believes birth […]
Huffington Post Denver: Last week, [Gov. John Hickenlooper] mistakenly introduced Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia as a “rising sex star” at a childhood literacy event, causing fits of laughter by many in attendance. He often refers to the Lt. Gov. as a “rising star,” and a “rock star,” and said later that he meant to jokingly […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) Every time Secretary of State Scott Gessler alleges outright voter fraud in Colorado, I think to myself, this has to be the last time he says this, unless he produces evidence to back it up. And then he says it again, like he did on KLZ’s Grassroots Radio Colorado […]
(If Santorum becomes the frontrunner tonight, I’m still not turning in my “come from behind” puns, and you can’t make me. – promoted by ProgressiveCowgirl) Super Tuesday marks the most states voting at any one day during the Republican primary. It will be a day that might determine whether Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich will […]
(Congrats, Dan and Konola. – promoted by ProgressiveCowgirl) For weeks I’ve been hinting about a candidate both in my blog and on my facebook page. Full disclosure, I am a volunteer on the campaign to elect Dan Robinson. I am excited that he has finally formally announced, and I no longer have to be so […]
When the GOP decided to create a fictitious “war on religion” to smear President Obama, and chose contraception coverage for employees of religiously-based hospitals and universities as their battle-ground, they had no idea what they were starting. Women across America realized it could potentially be a two-fer for Republicans — not just an attack on […]
Many Democrats are disappointed with the Obama administration’s failure to consistently defend Americans against the destructionist tactics of the extreme right-wing over the last three years. While we acknowledge the many gains that have taken place in spite of the most obstructionist Congress in history, we still have a long way to go. While we […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) If you were in charge of a big political fundraiser in Colorado, where women voters are obviously a key voting bloc, and your keynote speaker was recently embroiled in a national controversy for his joke that contraception need not be so expensive because, back in the old days, “The […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) Since day one in office, Gessler has had a number of problems as well a problem with numbers, as in figures. First, you recall, it was his salary figure. Too low. Then he said there was the “pretty high incidence” of fraud (implying a BIG number) in Denver’s 2009 […]
From DC-based Public Campaign, on air today hitting freshman Rep. Scott Tipton: A new television ad by campaign finance watchdog Public Campaign, called “Connect the Drops,” will begin airing in Colorado today to highlight Rep. Scott Tipton’s (R-Colo) votes to maintain wasteful oil subsidies at the same time he was taking campaign contributions from the […]
Jeffco Young Dems will host several candidates aged 18-35 from the Denver Metro Area at 240 Union in Lakewood tonight. This Young Candidates Showcase offers attendees of all ages and party affiliations an opportunity to speak with and learn from people who’ve made the choice to run for office at a young age. Attendees will […]
The Denver Post’s latest “Battleground Colorado” panel is stacked against Democrats, but Post Editorial Page Editor Curtis Hubbard tells me that things will be fair in the end, as Dems will outnumber Republicans on a future panel. The Post’s “Super Tuesday” panel, the second in election-season series that promises to be interesting, in part because […]
Briefly lighting on the Broomfield Enterprise’s story yesterday, sure to be aggressively promoted by local conservatives today: In a press release issued Wednesday, grass-roots conservative advocacy organization Compass Colorado slammed state Democrats for naming former state Rep. Anne McGihon as a co-host for a Primavera fundraiser on March 11. As a registered lobbyist in Colorado, […]
As Chair of SD27 Dems, I am delighted to share the following press release with fellow Polsters. When David Paladino creates a Pols account and personally introduces himself (soon), I hope you will give him a warm welcome. David Paladino Announces Candidacy for CO Senate District 27 CENTENNIAL – Centennial Democrat David Paladino has officially […]
With incumbent Robert Ramirez’s commitment to the HD-29 race as uncertain as his reputation on the right, an alternative for conservative voters could be a spoiler for the Republican. SoS filings show that just such an alternative exists in the form of one Hans Romer, a Libertarian who received 584 votes for the same seat in 2002. That’s under 3% (not great even for a Libertarian), but it’s also more than the margin separating the D and R candidates that year.
It’s not easy to find information on Romer, who has no campaign website, no public Facebook page, and no easily discoverable Twitter account, but I pieced together what I could, after the jump:
(With Tad in the penalty box once again… – promoted by Pita) UPDATE FROM COLORADO POLS: It has always been our intention to use The Penalty Box as a cooling-off area and as a warning to behave nicely on these pages. But it appears as though The Penalty Box doesn’t always rehabilitate a Pols criminal. […]
As the Colorado Statesman’s Peter Marcus reports: In an exclusive interview with The Colorado Statesman this week, a shaken Bradford poured her frustrations over a string of controversies and personal turmoil over the last month that has left her fighting for her career and family… Just when Bradford was resuming some semblance of normalcy, she […]
A question of preschool or tests Thursday, HB1091 The Preschool Bill, was debated in the Colorado State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee. Here are the facts: HB1091 “The Preschool Bill” takes the public money that exceeds the federal testing mandates of No Child Left Behind and invests it in the Colorado Preschool Program. For the […]
The Colorado Statesman’s inimitable Ernest Luning last week gave his rundown of the top 12 tightest legislative races to watch in 2012.
Lo and behold, nearly half of all of those races are in Jeffco.
It’s just four months until Colorado voters cast ballots in the June primary, and already the battle for control of the General Assembly is taking shape.
Following last year’s contentious reapportionment fight, which scrambled districts statewide and resulted in an unusually high number of competitive districts – at least as measured by voter registration statistics – both Republicans and Democrats are vying for majorities in the state House and Senate. Republicans currently hold a one-vote margin in the House, and Democrats control the Senate by five votes, but an unprecedented turnover in the chambers means those majorities could be entirely up for grabs this year.
The Colorado Statesman has compiled a list of the 12 legislative races – including a handful of primaries – to watch this year, based on interviews with party strategists, campaign operatives, candidates and neutral observers. At the end of each month up to the election, we’ll update the list to reflect changes in the ranking based on what’s sure to be a dynamic campaign year.
…
1. Senate District 22 – Democratic state Rep. Andy Kerr vs. Republican state Rep. Ken SummersThis is the marquee legislative race this year because it pits two solidly partisan, veteran lawmakers against each other in a quintessential swing district smack in the middle of bellwether Jefferson County. It’s also the contest that has seen the most twists and turns on the way to the final line-up, promising plenty of excitement right down to the wire. Reapportionment maps crowded state Reps. Kerr and Summers, along with Democratic state Rep. Max Tyler, into the same House district, leaving Kerr and Summers to emerge as candidates for the open Senate seat.
Rated: A pure toss-up.
…
3. House District 29 – Incumbent Republican state Rep. Robert Ramirez vs. Democratic challenger Tracy Kraft-TharpEven if this north Jefferson County district weren’t one of the most evenly divided in the state, it would still feature one of the most hotly contested races if only because of its symbolic value. This was the seat that flipped control of the House from Democrats to Republicans in 2010 when Ramirez toppled state Rep. Debbie Benefield by a mere 197 votes. Since that win, House Speaker Frank McNulty has been touting Ramirez as the linchpin for Republicans. Though he briefly flirted with a run for his Senate seat, by all appearances he’s working as hard to keep his seat as he did to win it the first time around, facing a strong challenge from lawyer Kraft-Tharp, a Democratic Party stalwart.
Rated: Pure toss-up.
…
6. Senate District 19 – Incumbent Democratic state Sen. Evie Hudak vs. Republican challenger Lang SiasRepublicans want this Arvada and Westminster seat in a big way, evidenced by a flurry of TV ads – yes, TV ads! – already unleashed on Hudak in an attempt to soften her up for past congressional candidate Sias. The ads went after Hudak for supporting last fall’s failed ballot initiative Proposition 103. It would have raised state taxes by $3 billion to fund education, a hot-button issue Democrats aren’t too worried will irreparably damage the former teacher, whose views on education funding are hardly a secret. On the heels of his losing primary to run against U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, Sias brings campaign experience and the past backing of U.S. Sen. John McCain to the suburban battleground.
Rated: Hudak’s familiarity with district gives her a slight edge, but Sias could benefit from sour voter mood.
…
7. House District 28 – Republican Amy Attwood vs. the winner of a Democratic primary between Brian Carroll and Brittany PettersenBy the numbers alone, this Lakewood district ought to be a safe Democratic seat, but the combination of a combative Democratic primary and a seasoned Republican candidate make the outcome less predictable. Attwood knows the district inside and out, having run a failing bid for Lakewood City Council and gotten a jump on the partisan side as an aide to state Rep. Ken Summers, who is running for an open Senate seat. She’ll have the advantage of campaigning unobstructed through June while the Democrats slog through a primary. Campaign organizer Pettersen jumped in the race last week at the urging of local Democrats who feared Carroll had burned too many bridges during his short-lived primary challenge last fall against state Rep. Andy Kerr, when Carroll ran as the first openly gay veteran to launch a bid following the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military rule.
Rated: Pettersen looks strong out of the gate, and if primary isn’t too bruising could hold the advantage in November.
…
8. House District 23 – Incumbent Democratic state Rep. Max Tyler vs. Republican challenger Rick EnstromTouted as a top example of Republican legislative candidate recruitment efforts this year, Enstrom’s bid to unseat Tyler could give the Democrat his first real race in the central Jefferson County district. The candy man brings a solid record of public service and mainstream GOP positions to a race Republicans hope to turn into a referendum on Tyler’s more liberal approach to government.
Rated: Leans Tyler, but Enstrom will make him work for it.
We think Luning is spot on in almost all of his analysis. The campaign between Kerr and Summers isn’t simply the most compelling in Jeffco, it’s an incredibly important indicator of Colorado’s political temperature as 2012 progresses. There’s good reason it’s the top race to watch.
We disagree, however, that the race between Kraft-Tharp and Ramirez is a toss-up. Kraft-Tharp is outraising the sitting representative, after all. Ramirez’s brief exit from the House race only bolsters the perception that Kraft-Tharp is the candidate to beat, and that perception will only lead to increased fundraising. Luning’s right that the dynamics of this race may very well change between now and November – Ramirez will no doubt receive a healthy amount of outside support from those wanting to preserve the razor-thin GOP majority in the House – but we think Kraft-Tharp is currently enjoying a definite edge. Ramirez knows it, too.
As for the House District 28 campaign, we agree that Pettersen is making the best case for the Democratic nomination right now in part because of her backing from prominent “local Democrats.” If Carroll can argue, however, that he’s learned from his past indiscretions and if he continues pulling in enough money, he’ll swiftly fill the gap. He’ll also need to demonstrate that he didn’t move into Lakewood just to run for office.
Either way, we give Attwood the advantage against either Democratic candidate. Unlike both Carroll and to a lesser extent Pettersen, Attwood is well-known in Lakewood. Yes, she lost her last campaign for Lakewood City Council, but that only gives her impetus to work that much harder for the house seat. And we suspect that many Lakewood voters wish Attwood had won her last election, given Councilman Dave Wiechman’s recent problems.
(In-person, original coverage of a local race — wonderful. – promoted by ProgressiveCowgirl) It was everything I hoped it would be and more. The Candidates all brought everything they had (which is more impressive for some than others) and provided a couple hours of very entertaining discussion in one of the most (if not the […]
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!