BREAKING: Penry Won't Run for Re-Election

by: ClubTwitty

Thu Dec 31, 2009 at 10:20:21 AM MST

Penry won't seek re-election to state Senate; his future unclear

State Sen. Josh Penry will not seek re-election to the Colorado Senate, the Republican Grand Junction lawmaker confirmed today.

Penry, who recently dropped out of a bid for the GOP nomination for governor, confirmed in an email to the Daily Sentinel that he was now telling friends and family that the 2010 session would be his last.

He offered no word yet on what his future plans would be.

The announcement clears the way for Rep. Steve King, R-Grand Junction, to seek his seat, and a slew of candidates who are vying to replace King in the Colorado House.

Now the speculation begins--what is the story behind the story?

Penry Tries Rewriting History in Post Exit Q&A

by: Colorado Pols

Mon Nov 30, 2009 at 07:00:00 AM MST

Politicians dream of the kind of press that gubernatorial candidate Josh Penrygarnered in recent months.

Fox News reported Penry was ready to lead a national comeback of the Republican Party. The Washington Post surmised that the young state Senate minority leader might be the best hope to lay the new foundation for the GOP.

Then Penry dropped out, paving the way for his one-time boss, former U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis, to easily capture the GOP nomination...

...Q: Do you think Scott realizes the gift that was handed to him? The cliché lead here is "Christmas came early for Scott McInnis."

A: He does. No question in my mind. Scott in these last two weeks has shown an openness and a genuine humility. Anyone at these meetings can tell you that.

The left-wing blogs and objective observers are saying the Republicans' chances of taking back the governorship and regaining other ground we lost just increased by orders of magnitude.

Q: Orders of magnitude? O-r-d-e-r-s? What does that mean?

A: (Laughing) Say it increased by a lot.

Q: Those same left-wing bloggers keep reporting you were pushed out. There's talk that some high-roller donor backing McInnis approached you or your people and threatened to spend a fortune attacking you.

A: Those bloggers are also sitting in their underwear in their grandmothers' basements. They're making stuff up out of thin air.

I wasn't pushed out. No one approached me. I made a shrewd decision based on the realities around me.

Scott has some significant advantages that I recognize, financial and otherwise. He was in Congress for 12 years. He has a bunch of third-party money backing him. The Republican Party historically nominates people who have been down this road before. The insurgent newcomer rarely wins it. I'm not whining about it, but it's a reality.

Enough of the spin and posturing. We're not saying anything that isn't completely obvious: Josh Penry is not running for Governor because he was the weaker candidate and was pushed out by a much stronger candidate. The idea that Penry just decided not to run because he is the "bigger man" is horseshit. Penry's polling numbers were in the toilet, and he could only raise money from a small base located on the Western Slope. Democrats wanted Penry to be the GOP nominee for Governor because everybody knew that he was the weaker candidate.

Bottom line: If Penry really thought he could beat Scott McInnis, he would still be in the race. Period. Does anybody really think for a minute that Penry just got out of the race out of the kindness of his heart? He's spinning as fast as he can here, and we understand the effort -- but reality, uh, bites.

Penry actually looks pretty sad in this interview, claiming over and over that he is the bigger man for bowing out of the race.

At some point somebody's got to be the adult and say, "I'm going to step back and do what's right for the cause." Ironically, it was the 33-year-old who made the decision.

Here's a tip: If you have to tell everyone that you are the coolest guy in the room, then you're not the coolest guy in the room. The more you try to spin your exit as though you did it because you are a leader, the more people see right through it. Penry would have been much better off sticking with "it wasn't the right time for me, etc." than this sour grapes silliness.

And as for the whole "bloggers sitting in their underwear in the basement" thing...really? That line is sooooo lame. Penry's campaign blogged. Mainstream reporters blog. Everyone blogs. And it's "sitting in their mother's basements," not their "grandmother's." If you're going to spew cliches, at least get it right. (Not to mention the "527 that was set to go after Penry" was reported by MSNBC and the Denver Post before any 'bloggers in their underwear' said anything. Don't get us wrong, we're not offended, but that's just incredibly stupid on several levels.)

Q: Speaking of retro, here we are talking about McInnis, Tancredo, Owens and Wadhams. It feels a little like 1998 here.

Tancredo Out, Will Endorse McInnis?

by: Colorado Pols

Fri Nov 20, 2009 at 15:12:21 PM MST

For all Tancredo's boasting and blustering, running for Governor is a serious commitment--in both time and money spent--not really something Tancredo is up to after retiring from a congressional seat that required no effort on his part to maintain. There's also been an exceeding amount of "pressure" put on him to not run by Republicans who know they can't afford a primary with a moderate McInnis if they hope to knock off the moderate Gov. Bill Ritter next November.

That all said, we can't help but wonder what the real purpose of this "threat" of a Tancredo candidacy was, and the "concessions" supposedly demanded of McInnis by Tancredo and Penry. There's something about the timing of all these related op-ed columns and news articles that stinks of contrivance--of theater to appease angry conservatives.

BREAKING: Penry To Exit Governor Race

by: Colorado Pols

Mon Nov 09, 2009 at 13:25:51 PM MST

A campaign source says that up-and-comer Josh Penry decided against a CO-GOV primary challenge against Scott McInnis, his former boss when McInnis was in Congress, because he was scared off, in part, by a 527 that was ramping up for McInnis that was set to go after Penry. [Pols emphasis] He is sitting out the 2010 cycle and is NOT running for CO-3 despite the rumors...

The source added that Penry's Name ID, they were seeing, was only about 15% to 20% statewide, and Penry felt that a 527 and a nasty political fight could have ruined or significantly damaged his reputation and hurt his political capital with Republicans. This path helps Penry, who's only 33, build up political capital, the source said.

UPDATE: Denver Post puts uncertainty to bed, though Penry himself has yet to make a statement:

Two sources who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak on Penry's behalf confirmed for The Denver Post that Penry intends to leave the race.

One source said an announcement was imminent and that Penry met with McInnis Monday morning to inform him of the decision. Penry explained he was leaving the race for "personal reasons," the source said.

Penry has not returned phone calls seeking comment...

Washington Post's The Fix blog, holy [expletive]:

Colorado state Sen. Josh Penry (R) plans to end his gubernatorial campaign and endorse former Rep. Scott McInnis (R), according to two sources familiar with his thinking.

Penry's decision to opt out of the race is a stunner as many national Republicans had touted him as a potential rising star (and we had featured him in our "Rising" series that looks at up and coming politicians).

Chatter in the immediate aftermath of Penry's decision suggested he may well be considering a run against 3rd district Rep. John Salazar (D) who won the Western Slope seat when McInnis retired in 2004. Salazar's seat is one of 49 held by Democrats that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) carried in 2008. (McCain won it 50 percent to 48 percent for President Barack Obama.)

McInnis, who spent six terms in Congress, now has a clear shot at Gov. Bill Ritter (D) next fall. Democrats have expressed serious concern about Ritter's electoral prospects and his poll numbers have lagged badly since he was elected in a landslide in 2006.

Obviously this would be a major move, but it would make a lot of sense. For all the "rising star" accolades, Penry is clearly not yet ready for a race like this, and badly losing a primary is a quick way to end both the "rising" and the "star." A Penry loss also knocks him out of the State Senate and his Minority Leader status, leaving him in a tough spot to make a jump to higher office at a later date.

If this is true, it makes much more sense for Penry to run for re-election to the Senate and then re-assess his future later. Leaving this race to take on Rep. John Salazar and his million-dollar warchest would be silly and completely counterproductive. You don't leave a tough race that you might lose in order to run in another tough race that you might lose (especially when there is no way to transfer the money you raised for Governor to a Federal campaign).

As for McInnis, internal polling numbers and fundraising reports obviously show that he is in a great position. This is what we said when McInnis announced he wouldn't debate Penry -- clearly McInnis knew he was in the catbird's seat.

The timing of Penry's announcement does put McInnis in an interesting predicament where Gov. Bill Ritter is concerned. McInnis was in a great position where he was -- raising money and not having to stake out positions on tough issues -- but now he can't avoid the spotlight as the presumptive GOP nominee (sorry, Dan Maes). Whether McInnis is really ready for that is another question.

And finally, this is the worst-case scenario for Ritter. Both polling and common sense (McInnis is much more moderate than Penry) showed that Penry was the better general election opponent for Ritter; but even if McInnis had won the primary outright, at least he would have had to spend the next nine months in a slugfest. Now McInnis can save all of his powder for the general election.

Foot Shooting: It's Not Just for Republicans!

by: Colorado Pols

Tue Nov 03, 2009 at 10:12:03 AM MST

A Pols reader sent us this newsletter from Democrat Cheri Jahn, who is running for Senate in SD-20 (Moe Keller is term-limited), and, well, let's just say it opens up a wound you might have thought Jahn would have preferred closed:

Washington just doesn't get it!  An amendment was added to the Health Reform bill that would drastically increase the cost of medications for many Americans. I was outraged when I read the news. This amendment would extend brand-name prescription drug exclusivity from five years to twelve years, and in the process block affordable generics from being developed. Working families and our elderly would be hit especially hard with the increased costs of their medications if this amendment isn't stripped from the House version of the Health Care Reform Bill.

Too many Coloradans can't afford to pay the premium prices on brand name medication just to fatten the wallets of the big pharmaceutical corporation executives. We need to be working to make prescriptions MORE affordable - not less! In the Colorado State House I worked to do just that, and in the State Senate I'll keep fighting to make sure that everybody can afford the medications they need to stay healthy. [Pols emphasis]

That's all well and good, except that Jahn's vote essentially killed a prescription drug reform bill when she was in the State House in 2006:

The state House on Tuesday rejected a key Democratic measure to lower the cost of prescription drugs for some uninsured Coloradans.

The 35-30 defeat of House Bill 1100 raises doubts about whether Democrats will be able to deliver on their promise to provide discounted drugs to the uninsured...

...Democrats had planned to send both Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1100 to Owens with the hope that at least one would become law. But the leadership lost support for House Bill 1100 when pharmacies, HMOs and a business coalition joined lobbying forces against it.

Democratic Speaker Pro Tempore Cheri Jahn said she opposed the bill because not all the groups affected were involved in the negotiations.

Besides, she said, the bill offered discounts that are already available in the private market.

"I do not think it's fair to ask one industry to pay for the bill - pharmacies," she said. [Pols emphasis]

Whoops!

A Shovel For Josh Penry

by: Colorado Pols

Tue Nov 03, 2009 at 09:06:59 AM MST

Josh Penry's suggestion that it might be time to abolish the Governor's Energy Office (GEO) may backfire. Rather than exposing a "silo of patronage," his remark has brought attention to "the single brightest light in our economy," as House Speaker Terrance Carroll called the energy office.

Rather than a drain on resources that might go "for essential services like schools, roads and public safety," as Penry charges, the GEO costs nothing from the General Fund that pays for these needs.

In a breakdown of GEO funding, Colorado Pols reports that $1.1 million of its $1.6 million budget comes from the federal government. The remainder comes from gaming and severance taxes via the state's Clean Energy Fund. None of these funds could be diverted to balance the budget.

The GEO has also become a significant economic driver for the state, particularly since passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus bill. As the Denver Business Journal reports, the GEO "will be awash in federal economic stimulus money." Over the next three years, the GEO will disburse $138.8 million to stimulate jobs, increase renewable energy use and reduce energy use...

In addition to federal stimulus spending, Rep. Carroll points out, "In the past few weeks alone, SMA Solar Technology, SunRun Solar, Siemens Wind and RePower have all announced plans to create new jobs here. Vestas' Colorado workforce will total 2,500 by this time next year. Xcel Energy just yesterday announced a new solar-expansion plan that will create thousands of new private sector jobs."

"Closing the governor's energy office would be a ridiculous idea," Gov. Ritter said, "Given how fruitful we've been in luring companies here to be part of our energy economy."

...Josh Penry damaged his credibility when he distorted facts and figures to accuse Gov. Ritter of going on a hiring binge during an economic downturn. His uninformed and unsubstantiated attack on the GEO continues this pattern.

We haven't seen a statewide candidate continue to do this much self-inflicted damage since, really, Bob Beauprez. Penry has a ways to go to fall into that class of bumbling, but he's trying like hell.

Pols Poll 2: Governor (Republicans)

by: Colorado Pols

Thu Oct 29, 2009 at 08:00:00 AM MDT

The point of these monthly polls is to attempt to see how the perceptions of each campaign are changing. Once the voting is done, we'll show you how this month's results compare with last month.

McInnis: No Debates With Penry

by: Colorado Pols

Mon Oct 26, 2009 at 19:11:19 PM MDT

GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis told the Associated Press this afternoon that he has no plans to debate fellow Republicans Josh Penry and Dan Maes.  This, of course, means that staffers/supporters of his opponents will start descending upon McInnis events wearing chicken suits and holding signs that call him "Chicken McNugget" or "McChicken," or some such...

Apparently, 'it would just give the Democrats ammunition.' From the AP report cited:

GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis on Monday refused to share the stage with his chief party rival and said he had no plans to debate him before next year's primary...

"We don't see any use in debates for Republicans in a family discussion taking shots at each other," McInnis said. "This is an in-the-family situation, and we want to talk about the issues and not give the Democrats the bylines for their commercials."

...Until Monday, Penry held out hope for at least one debate.

"If you can't stand in front of a friendly crowd of businessmen, what are you going to do when the bullets are flying and the stakes are highest? It's silly," Penry said.

Despite what you might think at first glance, this is actually very bad news for Penry, because it shows that McInnis is confident enough in his own internal polling and campaign operation that he doesn't view Penry as a legitimate threat anymore. Penry may not be able to keep up with McInnis in fundraising (he came in third behind McInnis and Gov. Bill Ritter in the Q3 fundraising period), and he's been flailing away with talking points that consistently contradict each other.

Candidates ignore opponents when they don't feel like they have anything to gain by engaging them (in 2004 Ken Salazar rightly refused to debate Mike Miles because there was no upside for Salazar in doing so), and it sets the tone that McInnis is the frontrunner. Even if McInnis isn't completely confident that he is well ahead of Penry at this point, this is a smart political move to set the tone and put Penry on the defensive in the position of "also-ran" (note how McInnis lumps Penry in with Dan Maes, the latter, of course, being completely irrelevent).

Penry needs to respond to this, and fast, before the narrative becomes permanent.

Image via Picasa Web Albums

McInnis v. Penry: Now It's War

by: Colorado Pols

Fri Oct 09, 2009 at 09:14:37 AM MDT

As of yesterday, that conventional wisdom is in need of alteration--and with it a number of other assumptions about McInnis' viability in this race. Things that previously looked disastrous for McInnis are being reassessed, as the Denver Post reports:

Gubernatorial contender Scott McInnis RSVP'd that he would attend a candidate forum later this month but only after organizers agreed there would be no debate with his primary rival, Josh Penry.

McInnis' campaign also asked that the candidates not be on the stage at the same time.

The requests, coupled with McInnis' decision to skip a straw poll last month when the Colorado Republican Party held its fall meeting, puzzled a number of GOP members, most of all Penry.

McInnis' campaign said the focus needs to be on booting Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter in 2010 instead of on debates that could lead to intraparty squabbles...

Penry and Maes have attended more forums than McInnis, which two Denver political consultants said is understandable.

"It's probably the first good management move I've seen by the McInnis people," said Democratic consultant Steve Welchert. "He has the name ID, and he doesn't have to play these games."

Consultant Eric Sondermann, who is unaffiliated, said the candidates are practicing "predictable politics."

"McInnis is playing the role you would expect of the top dog, and Penry is playing the role of the insurgent underdog," Sondermann said. "I think the risk for McInnis is . . . he can't let it become part of his image that he won't take on his challenger."

After McInnis' very good quarter, he obviously thinks the last few months of debate evasion and on-air gaffes won't hurt him in the long run. He's the frontrunner now for the GOP nomination, a position that allows him to be "selective" in his public appearances. Given how those appearances have gone so far, we don't blame him for wanting that to be true.

But Penry isn't going to just fold. By now it's evident that Penry is the preference of the Republican base, and Penry's supporters have shown no compunction about viciously attacking McInnis at every oppportunity. That's going to intensify in the coming weeks, while Penry's campaign scrutinizes "McLobbyist's" huge take for embarrassments--attempting to turn McInnis' re-proven ability to raise coin against him.

Bottom line: McInnis answered the contempt expressed toward him by Penry and the GOP base, who assumed McInnis' long goodbye would begin with Penry posting a dominant total for Q3. Now that McInnis has defied them, the real blood will begin to flow.

Oh, and why in the hell is The Post talking about what Dan Maes is doing?  

Pols Poll: Governor (Republicans)

by: Colorado Pols

Tue Sep 29, 2009 at 12:00:00 PM MDT

As always, please vote based on what you think will happen, not on who you would vote for or which candidate you support personally. Think of it this way: If you had to bet the deed to your house, who would you pick?

Throughout the rest of the week we'll poll on the other big races for 2010.

Good and Bad Attacks from McInnis

by: Colorado Pols

Wed Aug 05, 2009 at 11:46:46 AM MDT

At a fundraiser in Greenwood Village on Tuesday night, McInnis ripped the governor, saying Ritter was more interested in his re-election campaign than handling delays at the Department of Labor and Employment, which has been besieged with unemployment claims.

"Get these unemployment checks out of the door. It means something to somebody," McInnis said.

"You know at the department of labor, these people all get their paychecks on the 30th of the month," McInnis said. "They don't have to worry if they're getting their paycheck or not."

Why McInnis would attack state employees is beyond us, especially since they are all being forced to take furlough days to help with the budget crisis. There are more than 30,000 state employees, and we'd assume most of them vote.

But the messaging wasn't all bad for McInnis.

McInnis also took a swipe at his most formidable GOP opponent, state Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry, of Grand Junction, although he never mentioned Penry by name.

"Somebody told me the other day, 'I kind of like a fresh face,' " McInnis said.

"I said, 'Good, keep that in mind the next time you're in an accident and they rush you to the emergency room. Say to them, 'You know, I want the new doctor, the one that just graduated from medical school.'

We've said before that we think Josh Penry's age is an issue that will become more and more of a problem for him as the campaign progresses, and McInnis' comparison to a new doctor is a great line. Voters across the country have been willing to elect younger candidates to Congress and U.S. Senate, but will they really pull the lever for a young candidate to lead the entire state?  

Penry Expected to Announce Campaign July 4

by: Colorado Pols

Tue Jun 09, 2009 at 15:50:36 PM MDT

That makes us sad that Penry won't tell us about his announcement plans. But we still hear it will be on July 4; maybe we're wrong, and we'll be the first to admit it if it turns out that way. But keep in mind that Penry couldn't confirm this date publicly without effectively announcing that he was running for Governor -- and thus triggering the timeline that would force him to register a campaign committee before he wants to do so. Even if this is true, and we still think it is, Penry couldn't confirm it publicly because he's not an announced candidate.

Original Post Follows...

Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry reportedly plans to announce his campaign for Governor on July 4.

No, seriously, July 4.

Yes, it's cheesy, but it beats breaking campaign finance laws.

Ritter Signs SB 228, Republicans Attack from...Grand Junction?

by: Colorado Pols

Wed Jun 03, 2009 at 11:56:12 AM MDT

Senate Bill 228, sponsored by Republican Rep. Don Marostica and Democrats Sen. John Morse and Rep. Lois Court, establishes consistent and reliable funding for transportation projects, while also removing an arbitrary allocation formula that prevents the recovery of vital state services when the economy recovers...

..."This is a fiscally responsible approach to creating a rainy day fund and ensuring that we are adequately funding transportation and capital construction," Rep. Marostica said. "More importantly, this accomplishes those goals without raising taxes."

Republican Rep. Don Marostica's deservedly praised sponsorship on this issue has made it tough for the right-wing of the GOP to really gain traction against the legislation, so how did they fight back?

Well, yesterday afternoon Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry and House Minority Leader Mike May held a press conference in Grand Junction.

Seriously.

The GOP leadership had to take its traction-less attack on a needed piece of legislation sponsored by a Republican member of the Joint Budget Committee to the tiny Grand Junction market in order to get somebody to pay attention to their cries.

We've been saying for months that Colorado Republicans would have been better off trying to find compromise on budget solutions rather than just saying no to everything. But instead they've held firm to their plan of doing nothing and complaining often, and now they're relegated to holding meaningless press conferences in Grand Junction because every other market won't pay attention any more.

Ladies and gentlemen, your Republican legislative leadership!

Should Gardner, Penry Resign To Campaign?

by: Colorado Pols

Mon May 11, 2009 at 09:39:53 AM MDT

During the final two days of last week, after the 120-day session ended on Wednesday, lawmakers were busy clearing their desks, some for the last time.

Senate President Peter Groff, D-Denver, Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver, Rep. Gwyn Green, D-Golden, have all announced their resignations for one reason or another. Longtime Sen. Jim Isgar, D-Hesperus, too, may be leaving for a post with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

It's also unknown whether Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, or Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry, R-Fruita, will return next session. Late last week, Gardner announced his bid to run for Congress in an attempt to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Betsy Markey. He may chose not to return next year because it would take time away from his primary battle with Tom Lucero for the Republican nomination during the summer of 2010.

Penry may run for the GOP nomination for governor against former U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis. Because state lawmakers are barred by law from accepting campaign contributions when the Legislature is in session, Penry may decide to step down before the 2010 session next winter...

It's a tough question for legislators aspiring to higher office, particularly given fundraising restrictions on them during the 2010 session: a critical time for both building name ID, which being in the legislature helps, and raising the cash they need to run--which obviously isn't helped. It can help signal commitment to the race, though, useful in the primaries both candidates anticipate.

Perhaps the question shouldn't be should they resign, but do they both need to resign in order to be competitive in larger races. Of the two candidates, Gardner is the one who probably has the greater need to resign. Penry can at least keep himself in the spotlight thanks to his Senate Minority Leader post, and most of the money spent in any statewide race comes from 527 committees - money that will be raised for Penry's gubernatorial hopes without his input. As for Gardner, he faces a larger primary field, and he doesn't get that much benefit out of being a minority state representative anyway.

A poll of the question as it specifically relates to Gardner and Penry follows.

RGA: Colorado Not In "Best Case Scenario" in 2010

by: Colorado Pols

Tue Apr 14, 2009 at 10:13:22 AM MDT

We've found it a little curious that the Colorado Governor's race is rarely listed among the top 10 most likely to switch parties nationally, but perhaps there's good reason for that. Check out this image from a presentation made recently by the Republican Governor's Association (RGA), which maps out a state-by-state "Best Case Scenario":

So what does this mean? Well, it means that polling doesn't look favorably on Republican chances to retake the governor's office in Colorado, and more importantly, it means that the RGA isn't likely to spend a lot of national money helping Republicans to defeat Democrat Bill Ritter in 2010.  

In other words, Scott McInnis and Josh Penry, good luck...but you're on your own.

BREAKING: Marc Holtzman Won't Run for Governor

by: Colorado Pols

Mon Apr 13, 2009 at 11:56:31 AM MDT

Holtzman had been widely expected among Republicans to formally enter the race for governor this summer. He had strong support from heavy-hitters in the business community, and would likely have had the full backing of folks such as Larry Mizel and Mike Fries. Business community leaders who wanted to see a businessman run for governor will be left looking elsewhere now, since both Scott McInnis and Josh Penry are lawyer/lobbyists and career politicians, respectively.

So why did Holtzman, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2006, decide against a run in 2010? Holtzman works in International banking and development, and he told friends that he could not in good conscience pull out of his many business responsibilities given the current economic crisis.

Of course, it's probably not a good year to run for higher office with banking and/or finance in your title, either, but those close to Holtzman say the perception problem wasn't what pushed him out of the race (and neither was a potential primary with McInnis and/or Penry, since Holtzman would have raised the most money of the three).

"McLobbyist" In Or Out?

by: Colorado Pols

Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 08:41:13 AM MDT

A couple of days ago, word circulated of a letter sent by McInnis to lots of registered Republicans, asking for "advice" solving the "problems" facing the GOP and Colorado in general. This letter didn't explictly say "I'm going to run for Governor," but it was clearly intended to plant his name in people's minds.

This morning, the Denver Post reports:

An "enthusiastic" supporter of Scott Mc Innis has registered six political domain names for the former congressman, including ScottMcInnisforGovernor.com.

Another name is ScottMcInnisforColorado.com.

McInnis told friends and supporters he is running for the GOP nomination for governor in 2010 but has yet to make a formal announcement.

The domain names were registered by Joshua Green of Colorado Springs. Green and McInnis' former chief of staff, Mike Hess, last year worked together on Bentley Rayburn's congressional campaign...

We don't know about you, but do you buy the "enthusiastic supporter who just happens to be a seasoned campaign worker" bit for a moment? Didn't think so. Because you're not stupid.

This is where we turn it over for discussion--kind of like Bob Schaffer's endless stalling of his "formal" announcement that he was running for Senate--how long do they get to "unofficially" set up their campaigns, when everybody knows that's what they're doing, before they have to file papers and report donations like everybody else? When does that clock start ticking, or more to the point, when should it?

We'd say the question is worth asking any time these guys try to pull this "shadow campaign" stuff, a seeming favored tactic of nervous Republicans these days--but in the case of McInnis and his history of questionable campaign fund expenditures, we'd say it's doubly worth asking. Because as we've said repeatedly, we'll believe McInnis is running only when he starts a formal campaign for governor, starts raising money, and starts going around the state as a candidate. Until then...this is just another in a long list of races that McInnis has "strong interest" in running for.

Draft Me, Draft Me!

by: Colorado Pols

Wed Apr 01, 2009 at 10:50:56 AM MDT

Predictably, the "Draft Penry" nonsense has begun with a Facebook page that includes a too-cute picture of Josh Penry tossing a football in the air. Getting a "supporter" to create a "Draft Penry" movement is the surest sign yet that Penry is getting serious about a potential run for Governor.

What's next? "Draft Ritter for Governor?"

McInnis Makes His Move?

by: Colorado Pols

Wed Mar 18, 2009 at 08:57:37 AM MDT

The battle for the Republican nomination for governor in 2010 could be a Western Slope affair, pitting former Congressman Scott McInnis against his onetime aide, Josh Penry.

McInnis, who retired from Congress in 2004 after six terms representing the 3rd District, is interested in the job, as is Penry, now the minority leader in the state Senate.

Penry served for a time as McInnis' spokesman in Washington, D.C., before returning to the Grand Valley to run for the state Legislature.

Dick Wadhams, chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, said he was aware of interest by both men in the opportunity to run against incumbent Democrat Bill Ritter of Denver.

"They're both terribly formidable people," Wadhams said...

The thing is, they're not--at least one of them isn't. Handpicked by Wadhams, Josh Penry's brief tenure as Senate Minority Leader has nevertheless been an unqualified disaster, from mismanaged public embarrassments to an "opposition" strategy that gained his party no sympathy--if anything the opposite of sympathy--with either the public or the media. If this was supposed to be the big test of Penry's mettle, paving his way to a Bobby Jindal-style meteoric rise, well, spectacular fail.

On the other hand, as the Sentinel continues:

McInnis said Tuesday he still has political ambitions and, "My focus is more on the governor's seat."

...he's not interested in the Senate seat occupied by Denver Democrat Michael Bennet, McInnis said.

"My interest is not there," he said. "I came home (to Colorado), and I'm staying home."

Nobody can forget the moment of high drama one week before the last election, when McInnis broke his silence about the way he was forced out of the Senate race in favor of Chairman Dick Wadhams' pal and GOP insider-anointed candidate Bob Schaffer. You'll recall that Wadhams "strongly disputed" McInnis' accusations, and within a week every Republican elder statesman in Colorado was penning guest editorials denouncing McInnis with eerie Mao-style unanimity.

Well, dear reader, a few days from the GOP state party reorganization, Wadhams has a credible challenger and Scott McInnis just might have enough backlash behind him to make people forget all about that paying the wife to run your fictional campaign thing and seriously consider him for governor. Until Marc Holtzman reminds them in a big glossy mailer, of course. We digress.

Bottom line: If the last few weeks have proven anything, it's that Josh Penry is not anywhere near ready to head up a ticket. What he needs is several more years to mature and a more statesmanlike haircut--we're serious about this, it's unelectably bad, a mullet kept in check with a beard trimmer. And what Wadhams needs, assuming he survives the weekend, is to realize that he's no longer the kingmaker of the Colorado Republican Party--and the choice of who will top the 2010 ticket is no longer his to dictate.

As for McInnis, what he needs is to stop talking about races he might possibly one day perhaps potentially consider. Because he's starting to look more than a little silly "expressing interest" in virtually anything.

Penry for Governor? Um, No

by: Colorado Pols

Mon Mar 02, 2009 at 11:29:35 AM MST

Our prediction? Penry doesn't actually end up running for Governor in 2010. And here's why...