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April 19, 2016 12:46 PM UTC

Are Republicans already giving up on Bennet race?

  • 27 Comments
  • by: Jason Salzman

(No “Con Man Cory” to the rescue this time… – Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Sen. Michael Bennet.
Sen. Michael Bennet.

After State Sen. Tim Neville was surprisingly knocked out of the Republican battle for the right to take on Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, State Sen. Justin Everett (R-Littleton) took to Facebook to lament:

Everett: “Sadly, our only chance to defeat Michael Bennet is no longer in the race. Thank you, Tim, we know you will always be on the front lines in the fight for freedom and liberty. God bless you and your family.”

Reporters might write off Everett’s comment as despondency after a shocking loss by Neville, whom Everett was obviously backing. But judging from the first quarter fundraising numbers, showing that none of the GOP primary candidates are, in Politico reporter Eli Stokols’ words, “really crushing it,” you have the privilege of wondering if Republicans are starting to join with Everett in thinking the race has already been won by Bennet, who’s sitting there with $7.6 million in the bank.

As The Denver Post put it:

No one in the crowded Republican field looking to unseat [Bennet] has reported more than $1 million cash-on-hand, and whoever emerges from the five-way fight likely will drained of resources just trying to win the June 28 primary.

The GOP fundraising leader, Jack Graham,the former CSU athletic director, dropped $1 million on his own campaign, and has, as ColoradoPols pointed out, more money in the bank “than the rest of the Republican field put together.”

Anything can happen, and big campaign spending may flow from 527 groups still unknown. But with the Colorado Republicans’ A-Team out of the race before they got in it, and the remaining B-Team not catching fire money-wise or otherwise, it’s a legitimate question for reporters to ponder: When will the toll of layers of candidates, piled upon divisiveness and Democratic unity, against the backdrop of an improving economy and even an increasingly popular president, make Republicans say, hmm, maybe we should throw our time and money elsewhere.

Comments

27 thoughts on “Are Republicans already giving up on Bennet race?

  1. They should give up.  As for Everett's statement, their only chance to defeat Bennet was never in this race.  An (R) win is going to require the proverbial dead girl/live boy.

    I don't see how a candidate that could get the party's nomination can beat the incumbent.

  2. Are you guys kidding?  This post obviously just shows how desperate we are, trying to convince ourselves that Bennet isn't going to get crushed by whatever great candidate the Colorado GOP eventually comes up with. Grasping at straws!  Moddy should be along any minute now to straighten you guys out! Now to take the edit free plunge. Get ready… get set ….

    1. Bennet supporters can see'em and raise 'em but don't think anybdy is ging to think it's worth it. Pretty sure the reason it devolved into a clowncar affair instead of a nice neat process as with Gardner in the first place is because they know they're going to lose this one. Bigger names didn't want to waste their time.

  3. better be careful………heard a radio interview with the R guy from the Springs, and even though he somewhat defies Republican Orthodoxy, his tone and talking points will appeal to voters ………maybe even those mythical Independent Voters that Dems are always appealing to.

    1. Sorry Zap. I'm afraid your heart's going to be broken and Bennet isn't going to be defeated by some awful R. You'll just have to learn to live with another term for a Senator who votes the same as Warren and Sanders and in support of Obama more than 90% of the time. Try to get to "acceptance".

  4. Everett is just… god, what a schmuck. 

    I've never understood why you'd spend your time, money, and energy running for office, just so you could vote no on every bill that comes up. That's not governance. 

    What a shithead.

    1. Everett's comment: "Thank you Tim. We know you will always be on the front lines in the fight for freedom and liberty."  Unless it's a fight for stuff like abortion rights, birth control, against personhood, against vouchers to siphon off dollars for religious schools, etc. In those cases, freedom & liberty; freedom of conscience and freedom of choice; won't exist.

  5. Michael Bennet's got this locked up because he's a great legislator.  I'm proud to have helped him from the beginning.  Hillary will also have an easy time beating T-Rump or Cruisin for a Bruisin.

    So, I'm going to focus on helping Morgan Carroll take out Coffman.  (Or, Gail Schwartz's campaign against Tipton would also be fun if you live in that district.)  Can we pick up two Congressional seats in Colorado this year?  Can you spell tsunami?

    1. Michael Bennet's got this locked up because he's a great legislator.   

      Please elaborate, itlduso. by what parameters do you award him "great" legislator status? What makes him so great? $7,000,000 has nothing to do with that lock?

       

      1. Check out Bennet's record on protecting our public lands and on the environment. None of the prospective Repub. candidates, other than Jon Keyser, have any green credentials that I know of.

            1. And Gardner's supposed to be one of our less extreme wacko righties. So pretty much the best you're ever going to get by refusing on principle to vote for Dems like Bennet. Enjoy. 

  6. With so many candidates in the race – via caucus and petitions – Republican heavy hitters closed their wallets to see first who would emerge from the assembly —- and second from petitions. The BIG QUESTION IS WHY SOS WAYNE WILLIAMS HAS SAT ON HIS ASS AND NOT VERIFIED PETITIONS FOR GOP US CANDIDATES? And yes, I am yelling that at him and anyone who cares Graham entered his petitions into little Wayne's office very early – weeks ago – and still hasn't been counted. Williams PR gal Lynn Bartels keeps reminding us via emails that none of these petitions have been validated. Dirty games going on here? Maybe. Well… why would a Republican fund a candidate at this point when Wayne Williams in playing HIGH STAKES POKER in validating petitions? Wayne, DO YOUR JOB. As for Bennet, I guess he might thank WAYNE WILLIAMS.

  7. SoS Wayne Williams announced today that Graham made the ballot – thanks, Wayne for completing the task. Now, awaiting the petition results for the remaining three GOP US Senate candidates. 

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