April 13, 2016 04:08 PM UTC

Al White Exits SD-8 Race, Endorses Emily Tracy

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• by: Colorado Pols

THURSDAY UPDATE: Emily Tracy’s statement after Al White’s withdrawal:

“The race for Senate District 8 has now crystallized to a clear choice between Senator Baumgardner and myself. I’m an advocate for the families, communities, and economies of the Western Slope. Our Senate District has not been well-represented during the past three and one-half years, as Senator Baumgardner has been more inclined to, as Mr. White stated in his news release, ‘toe the line for extreme far-right special interests’ rather than the interests of his constituents.”

Tracy continued, “I greatly appreciate and am honored by the endorsement of Al and Jean White, both outstanding public servants. Their perspectives on the issues and needs of Senate District 8 will play an important role in my campaign.”

Tracy commented, “Senator Baumgardner has repeatedly demonstrated a certain disdain for his District, failing to regularly visit with local elected officials and constituents.” Tracy noted that his votes reflect his lack of responsiveness to the needs of the District, including when “he voted against improvements to the I-70 traction law even though all who testified at the bill’s senate committee hearing spoke in favor of the proposed legislation.”

“If elected, I am committed to listening to and working for all voices in our diverse Senate District.”

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That in a statement this afternoon, popular ex-GOP Sen. Al White is ending his short-lived independent bid for his former SD-8 seat ,now held by Randy “The Stache” Baumgardner–opting to not split the anti-Baumgardner vote in this pink-purple district and throwing his weight behind Democratic challenger Emily Tracy:

Al White announced Wednesday that he is withdrawing from the Senate District 8 race. White cited a lack of funding as the reason driving his decision: ”

Having a “U” behind my name instead of an “R” was a nonstarter for many of my former funders. I set a timeline with some specific funding goals for myself at the outset. After six weeks I was so far off those goals it became apparent to me I would not, in the long run, reach an adequate level of funding to run a viable campaign. I will be returning all contributions received.”

“Also, I do not want to split the broad base of support across the district in regard to removing Randy Baumgardner from office. Voters deserve better than their current representation. We need someone who will show up and fight for the values of the Western Slope, not someone who simply toes the line for extreme far right ideologies. I have met with Emily Tracy and we agree on a lot of the issues. I think she would be a strong champion for the people of the district and bring a moderate voice to the state capitol. My wife Jean and I will be supporting her, and encourage all independent minded voters to do the same.”

And with that, a clean partisan race sets up in SD-8 instead of an unpredictable three-way. White’s endorsement of Tracy should still work in her favor, even if an independent White bid may have been worth more to Democrats in terms of splitting Republican votes. Tracy definitely has an uphill battle ahead in this race, but locals tell us to not underestimate ambivalence-trending-dislike for Baumgardner that could make a difference–especially if the electorate skews left this year due to externalities.

As for White, he retains one of the finest reputations among Colorado’s public servants on either side of the aisle. We expect to hear from him again someday.