Denver Major John Hickenlooper has reportedly chosen CSU-Pueblo President Joseph Garcia as his running mate in the race for Governor.
Garcia is not a name that is familiar with most Democrats, which is probably fitting given that Hickenlooper — though a Democrat by affiliation — is really more of an Independent candidate. Garcia was named President of CSU-Pueblo in June 2006 after serving as President of Pikes Peak Community College beginning in 2001. According to a bio from 2006:
He previously worked as the Rocky Mountain States representative for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, executive director of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies and as a partner in the Colorado Springs office of law firm Holme Roberts & Owen. He obtained his law degree from Harvard Law School and his bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Colorado-Boulder…
…Garcia also serves on a number of boards and committees, including the Colorado Springs YMCA, the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp., the Downtown Depot Arts District, the Pikes Peak Community Foundation and Goodwill Industries of Colorado Springs.
He joined the board of directors of the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority from 1994-1999 under then Gov. Roy Romer. Gov. Bill Owens appointed him again in 2001.
There are a lot of ways we could discuss the potential strategic reasoning behind choosing Garcia (he’s Hispanic, which is helpful for turnout and to deflect Tom Tancredo’s likely immigration-focused campaign, he could help bring out votes in Pueblo and Colorado Springs, etc.), but since there is basically no chance that Hickenlooper will lose the race for Governor, the most obvious reason is that Garcia doesn’t have a voting record to use in negative ads.
The other curious piece of this whole announcement is about the timing. Announcing your Lt. Governor running mate is one of a few guaranteed earned media hits that a campaign has. Usually a campaign would save this announcement for a lull in the press coverage, or in order to change the subject from an opponent’s attack. There’s really no strategic benefit that we can see in announcing Garcia as his running mate today, since the story will be buried alongside bigger (and frankly, more immediately relevant) stories about Tuesday’s Primary. Perhaps the announcement was made now because Garcia wants to be officially out of his current job before the new school year begins, but that’s the only reason we can come up with for why you would make this announcement now.
And finally…this may be a bad picture of Garcia that we found online, but it sure looks like he was once rocking a mullet.
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A educator and administrator from outside Denver who will be breaking race barriers for elective office.
It is one thing to pummel your opponent but this almost goes beyond cruel. Maybe they will have to call out the Humane Society to deal with the howls from the anti-brown skins crowd.
Hickenlooper to spot Tancredo and McInnis 10 points each?
Do you really thing Tancredo, Maes OR Mcinnis would return the favor?
treat ’em like they treat others!
This choice is going to help secure not only the executive chamber but the state and house too. It’s briliant really.
The GOP has to take one of the chambers this year because it’s a redistricting year.
Now that the GOP has no chance to get the gov’s seat, they are more than likely going to funnel their efforts over to the house and senate. They have 4 opportunities in senate, I think 7 or 9 in the house?
Garcia is going to bring in a lot of latino/idependent-pro education votes who will probably vote D down the line. This is great news for Guzman, Morse, Whitehead etc etc..
Personally, I’m effing ecstatic.
I think it solidifies Hick’s claim that he is ‘different’, that it won’t be politics as usual.
Great pick
Not a woman.
is that the very first LG for CO was also Hispanic. I believe his last name was Vigil.
There is a Vivian but it didn’t say anything about this Republican being Hispanic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L…
was a mullet once in its life.
http://www.locksoflove.org/don…
Yes I sport the mullet these days. but for a greater purpose than vanity.
Great Choice Hick!
Better to grow out all of your hair and go to the “slicked back ponytail” than resort to the mullet.
hair ties break (the world is an imperfect place) and just before it is long enough for the hair tie… it is a mullet.
No mullet – he has gone with the completely shaved-head look.
Mullet or not, he’s handsome and well dressed. Maybe that was the ticket balancing factor they were looking for. Nobody will ever accuse Hick of being either.
The mullet is gone — his head is now shaved.
made him get rid of the mullet.
are pretty pathetic and sad.
to offset the pathetic and sad!
There surely must be some people who set up numerous accounts and then comment with all of the names on every article.
I have, in the past, accused 9News of letting the KKK overtake their comments. I never got a response to that but the tone and outright hostility of many of the comments sure sounded like many of the comments were the same person rewording their own comments over and over, always with a discriminatory bent! The same may also happen at DP.
This is a great choice. This gentleman has done more for CSU and Pueblo than can be spelled out on this blog. This is coming from someone who will vote for McInnis, but man is this is a good choice!
Scooter won’t be on the November ballot. I suppose you could write his name in though.
Hick quits as Gov in 2017 and Garcia becomes Gov.
Cementing his chances of winning in 2018.
This means that it will be 2026 before the Repubs have a chance at Gov.
Oh, Scooter and Dan, what have you done?
Saved Colorado!
Joe’s a good guy who has done great things in our community. As a C.S. resident, I’m glad that Joe will become one of the faces of Colorado Springs, and maybe convince some of my friends in Denver & Boulder that we’re not all crazed right-wing zealots (and remember, Dan Maes is not from Colorado Springs!)