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December 06, 2011 11:17 PM UTC

EXCLUSIVE: Joe Coors, Jr. Exploring Run for Congress in CD-7

  • 56 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

There’s big news on a big name from out of nowhere.

Republican Joe Coors, Jr. is actively exploring the idea of running for Congress in CD-7 against incumbent Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter.

This one surprises us, to be frank, but apparently Coors has been making high-level phone calls about the race since well before yesterday’s redistricting ruling was made final. The allure of a potential Coors, Jr. candidacy is obvious for Republicans: They really need someone who can self-fund a campaign to some degree if they hope to make a serious run at Perlmutter in 2012, because they have too many other national races to worry about than to spend resources going after a popular Democratic incumbent.

While the allure for national Republicans is clear, we really can’t see why Coors, Jr. would be serious about running for Congress. He retired in 2000 as Chairman and CEO of CoorsTek Inc., and he’ll turn 70 in February — is he really interested in being a 70-year-old freshman Congressman? His current elected office is as President of the posh Rolling Hills Country Club in Golden.

It’s no secret that Joe’s brother, Pete Coors, really didn’t like running for the U.S. Senate in 2004, when he lost to Democrat Ken Salazar, and surely they’ve spoken about this on more than one occasion. But at least Pete was seeking a bigger prize in the Senate; we have a hard time understanding why Joe Jr. would be interested in a House seat. Furthermore, the Coors family and business were absolutely hammered during Pete’s 2004 campaign, but the intensity of the attacks on the Coors clan would be exponentially greater in 2012. With all of the talk about the “99%” and Occupy Wall Street, we can’t imagine a worse year to run for public office with such a high-profile last name. Joe Coors isn’t as bad a name as “Joe Citibank,” but it’s not far behind. The guy owns his own helicopter, for crying out loud.

The boundaries of CD-7 changed somewhat in redistricting, but this is still a Democratic-leaning seat with a popular, entrenched and well-funded incumbent in Perlmutter. In 2010 Perlmutter defeated GOP challenger Ryan Frazier by 11 points; Coors is a bigger name than Frazier, of course, but it can’t be overlooked that Perlmutter won a blowout victory in what was a huge wave year for Republicans.

Coors would no doubt try to play off his business experience in a campaign against Perlmutter, but even that comes with problems. He made headlines in 2002 for reportedly being swindled in an investment scheme in which he invested family money in a program that promised a “100% return per week”  (seriously, he thought “100% per week” was realistic?) but which turned out to be a “Prime Bank” scheme in which investors are tricked into believing their money is being placed in well-known institutions.

Again, Coors has been making serious inquiries about running in CD-7. We’re surprised that he’s even considering a run, but we’d be even more surprised if he ultimately jumped in the race; there are just too many reasons for him to not run.

Joe Coors, Jr. is the son of Joe Coors, and the great-grandson of brewery founder Adolph Coors. His father, Joe, Sr., was well-known for his conservative political leanings; he was a founding member of the Heritage Foundation and was also involved in the creation of other conservative think tanks.

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56 thoughts on “EXCLUSIVE: Joe Coors, Jr. Exploring Run for Congress in CD-7”

            3. I’ll drink Coors. But that’s at the liquor store. The relative price difference between “cheap” and “good” at the bar is a lot lower, making it a dumb choice there. At least for me. (Also, I don’t go drinking at the bar when I’m budget minded.)

              But unless you tended bar a million years ago, you must have moved a lot of Coors Light, no?

              1. Coors products were not popular with the clientele. I tended bar at 3 different places and Coors didn’t sell, mostly because it sucks ass and tastes like shit.  

                1. Coors Lights is something like the 3rd best selling beer in America.

                  I’ve never seen anyone drinking it at a club, but at restaurants I see the bartenders pulling the Coors Light draft almost constantly.

                  1. I can’t speak for every bar in Colorado, just the ones I’ve bar tended at and Coors just did not sell. Bud Lite sold great. Coors Light did not. Coors did not. Hell, even restaurants where I waited tables rarely sold Coors products. They just didn’t sell. Maybe it sells better in Denver. From your comments, it certainly sounds like it. But not here.

                    Coors sells better in Illinois than it does here. I leave it to others to ascertain why that would be.  

                2. only had about 2 more than 40 years ago. Aside from taste I always thought the 11 oz bottles were rather a rip off.

                  I did try an Avalanche a couple of years ago and found it less objectionable. But, there was no other choice and I haven’t even thought of it since until now.

                  I am partial to the more expensive beers I guess though I don’t have one favorite.

                1. I’ve recently discovered that Schlitz has been brewing their old classic recipe again, so – again, when I have to think about money – that’s what I go for these days.

                  All told, I’d much rather drink Alaskan Amber than anything else.

            4. our local pub was on the skids and running down the stock. The last beer left was Coors and they were selling it for $1.00 a pitcher. The person I was with brought one back to the table, poured her glass, took a sip and said “I can taste the hatred of gay people”

        2. not holiday oriented at all.  Blow it up & you’ll see.  It celebrates his blueblood candy-assed 1% heritage.  He’s damn proud that he’s different from you & me.  

          WTF is this silver-spooned fool gonna bring to the People’s House other than give Polis a run for richest Congressman position.  Otherwise what does Coors have to offer?

          Bring it on Joe Jr. — you don’t fit into the TeaBagger contigent, you’ve never held elected office, and in the year of OWS you certainly got your ass firmly planted in the upper echelon of the 1%-ers.  Not sure who is advising him but this surely looks like an easy mark for some political hack to drain of $$s  

          1. But I bet you are right since the pic is from the linked Rolling Hills page.

            Makes sense since he’s posing for a picture for a Golf Course as their current President; the tie sort of meets the theme.  

  3. hard-working incumbent Congressman and a born with a silver spoon in his mouth country club type, my money is on the hard-working incumbent Congressman.

    2. Perlmutter has been a hard-working Congressman who shows his face in his district and is responsive to constituents.

      Of course, this is a slightly different district; Perlmutter will have to win some new constituents over to his side.  But he’s been consistently one of the best on the D side of the aisle; he’ll have no problems with the base, and I think Independents who are just now getting him as a Representative will be pleasantly surprised.

      Coors has at best an uphill battle against Perlmutter.  As I write above, though, now is the time to try whatever it is the GOP is going to try.

  4. A good get for the GOP if he runs.  According to the linked article, I think he’ll only be 60 next year, about the same age as Perlmutter.  I don’t think owning a helicopter is any more damning than that he is part of the 1%. He was after all a helicopter pilot.

    Lives within a block of Perlmutter.  Both respected by the swing “Rolling Hills Neighborhood.”  When I went to the Republican Convention with him in 1992, he was pro-choice and considered the moderate of the Coors family.  Don’t suppose he’ll fess up to those positions today.  If he does, problem in the primary, if he doesn’t, problem in the general.\

    I think Ed can beat him as Ed always runs scared and takes no one lightly.  Reality is that the District still leans Democrat.  But, a interesting get if it happens.

    1. According to the linked article he retired in October 2000 at age 58 which would make him 69 years old now.

      Why would a 70 year old guy want to run for Congress after being retired for 11 years, other than needing a hobby (and I can think of better ones than being a US Rep?)

      If I were Joe, I’d stick with golf.  

      1. some people I guess feel an overwhelming urge to tell everyone else what to do?

        I’m glad I don’t live in his district and be subject to this circus

  7. C’mon Pols:

    Where’d you get this, or did you pull it out of your asses? To whom has he made “serious inquiries”? To whom has he “apparently” been making these high-level phone calls? When? This such breathless gossip there’s actually nothing to respond to unless you let us in on a particular or two, or the joke. I guess the temptation to rush this out, totally without any supporting indicators, was just too great. You got an “Exclusive“, alright. But no story.

    1. I guess they need someone new to talk about.  That said, if there is truth to this there are two interesting points that have been brought up — self financing, and the idea of him going in for one or two terms just to take out Perlmutter and then retiring (again).

  9. Even SNL can’t top this.  I assume Polis will be the first contributor to the Lundberg campaign?

    This could be the most entertaining race in the country.

  10. http://coloradopeakpolitics.co…

    Remember goofy liberals: before you were baking up think tanks in the last decade, the Coors’ created the Heritage Foundation and other cogs in the Reagan revolution.

    Beyond the mechanics of a race, the issue matrix for Perlmutter is not one that benefits his standing among his new Southern JeffCo constituents.

    Obamacare. Stimulus. Bailouts. Debt ceiling deal. Imbalanced budgets.  

    On all of it, Perlmutter has been Obama’s toady.  

    Of course, there is a chance that Obama may do better than the polls show. But there is an equally good chance he won’t. And if he doesn’t, not only will Barack Obama be one and done, but Ed Perlmutter may well join John Salazar and Betsy Markey in the ranks of Colorado’s electorally unemployed.

    2. about Ed? How Ryan Frazier was going to win that seat because Perlmutter’s votes on healthcare reform, the stimulus, bailouts, et al? (In a year where Republicans swept the House, your guy still got his ass kicked, I might add.)

      Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

      See you next year when we kick your ass…again.  

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