Republican Amy Stephens Will Run for Senate

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by: Colorado Pols

Rep. Amy Stephens (R-Focus on the Family).

It was just a few weeks ago that Democrats locally praised state Rep. Amy Stephens for her help in creating the state's piece of the Affordable Care Act, while Republicans in Washington D.C. were busy drawing silly lines in the sand over defunding Obamacare. Given those very different storylines, and with the entry of Weld County D.A. Ken Buck in the race for Senate, it was beginning to look like Stephens had decided against running for Senate despite being courted to take the leap in June (as Pols first reported). But now, according to The Denver Post, the former House Majority Leader has decided to jump in the race for Senate after all:

Stephens will formally announce her candidacy Saturday to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Udall in 2014 — a move that increases the GOP primary field to four candidates vying to unseat an incumbent who, for now, many political observers view as relatively safe.

"Coloradans are exceptional people and we deserve a federal government that reflects our values by upholding the Constitution, exercising fiscal discipline and respecting the privacy of law-abiding citizens," Stephens said in a statement to The Denver Post.

Stephens, alongside former Republican U.S. Sen. Hank Brown, will make her announcement at the Classical Academy in Colorado Springs, before embarking on a four-stop tour along the Front Range this weekend to meet with voters.

The fact that Stephens is being backed by former U.S. Senator Hank Brown, one of the most respected Republicans in Colorado, says a lot to us about Republican concerns over the current field of candidates (Buck, state Sen. Owen Hill, and The Mustache). In fact, we wouldn't be surprised if the Q3 fundraising reports for Buck and state Sen. Owen Hill turn out to be unimpressive, an impetus for Stephens to enter the field with confidence that she can secure the GOP nomination.

13 thoughts on “Republican Amy Stephens Will Run for Senate”

Gilpin Guy says:

October 11, 2013 at 1:50 pm

This is the best they've got to take on Udall? Her odds of beating Buck is probably better than her odds of beating Udall.

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mamajama55 says:

October 11, 2013 at 2:08 pm

Hill's got nothing. Buck's got $72 grand. There's an outside spending PAC gearing up. http://realtime.influenceexplorer.com/race/2014/S/CO/2/

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1. Colorado Pols says:
  
  October 11, 2013 at 2:59 pm
  
  Those are Q2 figures. The numbers from Q3 should start showing up next week.
  
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DaftPunk says:

October 11, 2013 at 2:19 pm

Assuming Stephens wins the primary (who knows with those wackadoos) Personhood on the ballot dooms any chances she has.

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Diogenesdemar says:

October 11, 2013 at 2:23 pm

Ms. Stevens enters this race as the sanest Republican to date to declare.

(I guess this means that Ken Buck can now dust off all those "high heels" comments that got him so far last cycle . . . )

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1. Littletonian says:
  
  October 11, 2013 at 11:22 pm
  
  It's crazy that this is true.
  
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MADCO says:

October 11, 2013 at 3:51 pm

How did Buck beat the woman in his last primary?

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1. The realist says:
  
  October 11, 2013 at 9:14 pm
  
  Republicans were voting?
  
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davebarnes says:

October 11, 2013 at 9:13 pm

The only question is: Can Amy grow a better mustache than Randy?
If no, then why is shse running?

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1. The realist says:
  
  October 11, 2013 at 9:16 pm
  
  Another interesting thought – though not nearly as funny – is, watch not what The Mustache raises but what he spends the money on.
  
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DavidThi808 says:

October 12, 2013 at 9:51 am

I'm really curious to see how Stephens runs. If she runs as an establishment conservative, and then wins, that would be a gigantic step back toward sanity for the state GOP. And she could well win doing so as the other three will be competing for the most hard core tea party candidate.

It would also make her competitive with Udall.

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1. ElliotFladen says:
  
  October 12, 2013 at 10:12 am
  
  Buck and Hill will have a slug fest for the Social Cons and the overall liberty movement. Stephens will seek to quietly pick up a silent plurality of remaining conservatives and rely on an EPCO base. At least that is my speculative guess.
  
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  1. Danny the Red (hair) says:
    
    October 12, 2013 at 11:23 am
    
    I think you are correct. It is a good strategy.
    
    Still unlikely whe can beat Udall, but she makes it a different game.
    
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