October 28, 2019 01:18 PM UTC

Daily Camera To Cory Gardner: Resign

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• by: Colorado Pols

Back in March the Denver Post rescinded their endorsement of Sen. Cory Gardner, after Gardner voted to defend President Donald Trump’s highly controversial declaration of a national emergency to obtain the needed funding for construction of a wall on the southern U.S. border despite congressional refusal to fund the project–not to mention Gardner’s own longstanding stated opposition to both building a wall and declaring a national emergency to override Congress’ power of the purse.

This weekend, the Boulder Daily Camera one-upped the Post by calling for Gardner to resign from office:

Only a few times in history has the United States faced an internal threat as profound as the one posed by the lawless President Trump, and all Americans who want to preserve the nation’s institutions are obliged to act. In Colorado, this means they should insist that Trump enabler Sen. Cory Gardner vacate his office immediately. [Pols emphasis]

Gardner is one of Trump’s most valuable assets in Washington. Back home in his increasingly blue home state he is subject to escalating criticism of his record as he revs up his 2020 reelection bid. But Gardner’s unworthiness for public service goes beyond political disappointments. His dismal record on the environment, health care, guns and other issues does render him a poor fit for Colorado, and were his faults limited to such matters a trouncing at the polls next year would be satisfactory enough. But this is about a betrayal of public trust. Gardner’s disgraceful behavior in office makes him complicit in the corruption that’s polluting the channels of government, the dishonesty that’s destroying national institutions, the criminality that’s mocking the rule of law, and the perfidy that’s neutralizing the Constitution. Gardner swore that he would “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” but the Constitution is under attack, and far from defending the nation’s founding charter Gardner has aligned himself with its enemies. Coloradans should do what is in their legal power to shorten his term to whatever extent possible.

Strong words. There is of course no process for recalling federal lawmakers, so there’s no way to “shorten” Gardner’s term prior to the November 2020 elections where a second term can be denied him. It’s also extremely unlikely that Gardner would resign early and allow Democratic Gov. Jared Polis to appoint his replacement.

But there is one somewhat more plausible scenario this scathing editorial calls to mind–what if Cory Gardner were to simply decide not to run again? In a state that has moved steadily leftward since Gardner’s election to the U.S. Senate in 2014, and where Gardner is polling even worse than Trump with tepid support from the Republican base, Gardner is considered the most vulnerable incumbent GOP Senator up for re-election in 2020. He’s down by double digits against his most likely opponent in polls. Gardner’s recent disastrous handling of questions about Trump and the impeachment inquiry punched a giant hole in his indefatigably smooth reputation.

The most likely scenario remains that Gardner will not resign or decline to run for re-election, will fight to the bitter end, and at this point it looks like he will stand fast with Trump going into their joint rendezvous with destiny next November. This is about what the numbers and now the Daily Camera’s editorial board say Cory Gardner should do, not what he’s going to do.