June 27, 2013 10:30 AM UTC

The Curious Case of George Brauchler, and What it Means for Hickenlooper

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• by: Colorado Pols

As The Denver Post's Lynn Bartels reported yesterday, Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler (B-R-A-U…yep, we spelled it right) is "seriously" considering running for Governor in 2014:

"It's fair to say that I have been approached by a lot of different credible and influential people in the party about pursuing a run for governor, and I have been seriously considering it," Brauchler told The Denver Post. "The governor is a nice man. I think he wants to be a friend. I think he wants to be an adviser. But at the end of the day, no one elected him to be the state bartender. They elected him to be governor." [Pols emphasis]

Hickenlooper founded Wynkoop Brewery Co. before successfully running for Denver mayor in 2003 and governor in 2010.

Once deemed nearly impossible to defeat, Hickenlooper's position on gun control in the 2013 session and his decision to grant an extraordinary "temporary reprieve" to convicted killer Nathan Dunlap have inspired Republicans to take another look at the race.

The Republican Brauchler was just elected Arapahoe County DA last November, but that's not the reason he couldn't possible make a real run at incumbent Gov. John Hickenlooper. Brauchler, of course, inherited the case of Aurora theater shooter James Holmes upon taking office in January, which makes it virtually impossible for him to run for higher office in 2014. Unless Brauchler could some how wrap up the Holmes case in the next six months, critics would hammer him for abandoning the most high-profile criminal case in recent Colorado history. There's no way Brauchler could spin this move and have it not appear as though he was ducking the Holmes case. 

Brauchler's situation aside, his quote gives us a peak at the Republican strategy for defeating Hickenlooper, and it's a good one. Rather than going trying to impugn Hickenlooper's character, Republicans can just say, "He's a nice guy, but he's not up for the job." We would expect this won't be the last time we see the line, "No-one elected him to be the state bartender," which in one sentence weakens Hick's "aw-shucks" approach to public campaigning (and governing).

Frankly, this might be a blessing in disguise for Hickenlooper, who needs to drop the "Hick Shtick" anyway. It also highlights why Hickenlooper needs to focus his attention on shoring up a base that he's never really had behind him: reliable-voting Democrats. While Republicans may increasingly be looking at Hick as a vulnerable candidate in 2014, make no mistake — it's still his race to lose.