April 19, 2010 07:06 PM UTC

Roberts Faces 'RINO' Backlash, Tough Primary?

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• by: Colorado Pols

A noteworthy turn of events reported in the Montrose Daily Press this weekend–as our readers know, one of the GOP’s best pickup opportunities in the Colorado Senate this year is considered to be the sprawling southwest Senate District 6 seat, occupied by Jim Isgar until last year. Now held by Democrat Bruce Whitehead, Republicans across the state are eagerly looking at this seat as state Rep. Ellen Roberts’ next upwardly-mobile career stop.

Except, as the Daily Press reports, there’s a bit of a problem:

Area Republicans held their district assembly in Ridgway Saturday, and one race for sure will be on the Aug. 10 primary ballot.

Republican 6th Senate District candidates Dean Boehler and state Rep. Ellen Roberts move on to the primaries.

At the assembly, 110 of 148 delegates from the Senate district were in attendance, including all of Montrose Countys 42 Republican delegates.

Boehler is the top name on the primary ballot, with 66.4 percent of the delegates votes. Roberts had 33.6 percent. [Pols emphasis]

And just so there’s no questioning who’s taking credit for this, from the conservative blog Rocky Mountain Right:

Boehler attributes his large margin of victory to a grassroots effort of conservative Republicans, including members of the Tea Party and 9-12 Project.

That’s right, folks, the sitting state representative considered the Colorado Republican Party’s #1 state senate pickup opportunity…barely managed to get 30% at assembly. Now that doesn’t mean Roberts won’t ultimately win the SD-6 primary election in August, of course, put it’s hard not to interpret such a dismal performance at the assembly as anything but a vote of no confidence in Roberts by local conservative activists.

And why, do you ask? Well, despite attempts by Roberts to shore up conservative credentials this year–witness her failed legislation to turn legislative debates over local health care policy into a politicized brouhaha about “Obamacare”–she has a reputation as one of the more moderate Republicans in the General Assembly. She has a history of working with Democrats on energy and education issues, casting a key vote in favor of the new oil and gas drilling protections.

We’d say that willingness to reach across the aisle, though sullied by her highly regrettable ‘moratorium’ bill, is what makes Roberts such a formidable candidate for higher office: the “Tea Party” apparently sees it differently. At the very least, Roberts is going to have to run to the right to placate them now. And she’s forced to do so at her own risk, necessarily drawing fire from one side or the other instead of the centrist course she would rather plot; while Democrats salivate at the prospect of getting this lucky.