(D) Kamala Harris
(R) Donald Trump
80%
20%
(D) Diana DeGette*
(R) V. Archuleta
98%
2%
(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Marshall Dawson
95%
5%
(D) Adam Frisch
(R) Jeff Hurd
50%
50%
(R) Lauren Boebert
(D) Trisha Calvarese
90%
10%
(R) Jeff Crank
(D) River Gassen
80%
20%
(D) Jason Crow*
(R) John Fabbricatore
90%
10%
(D) B. Pettersen
(R) Sergei Matveyuk
90%
10%
(D) Yadira Caraveo
(R) Gabe Evans
70%↑
30%
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
(Yowza – promoted by Colorado Pols) There are no words for this. At the Louisiana state GOP Convention, Ron Paul supporters claim to have had a strong majority (they dominated the state’s caucuses back in April, giving them the most delegates to the convention). But the establishment GOP refused to recognize the convention’s election results […]
(Walker Stapleton, eat your heart out – promoted by Colorado Pols) From the Pittsbugh Post-Gazette State Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin surrendered to authorities this afternoon to face nine criminal counts pertaining to her alleged use of state resources for campaign purposes. […] Justice Melvin was identified as a target of the grand jury […]
That’s so GAY!” giggled Rand Paul in several places during a special showing of The Avengers. After each reiteration, Paul turned to his viewing companions, elbowed their ribs, and gazed expectantly at them, awaiting the flurry of appreciative chuckles he was sure were deserved by his wit. Favorite targets included Captain America and the Incredible […]
Faye Griffin is set to breeze through election year. Democrats failed (or were unable) to draft a candidate to run against her, so she’s a lock for re-election. Given that Griffin’s the only sitting commissioner displaying any modicum of common sense, perhaps that’s for the best.
District 2 Commissioner John Odom, however, is left alone to defend his seat from Democratic attorney Casey Tighe. Make no mistake: it’s an uphill battle for Tighe. Odom’s incumbency will lengthen his fundraising lists, and as a Democrat, Tighe’s already starting out behind in a county which favors the GOP for countywide offices. It doesn’t help that Odom, unlike his predecessors, is more or less untouched by scandal. At least, scandal that we know of.
Still, Odom’s never won an election before. He was appointed to his current position in the wake of Kevin McCasky’s now-controversial resignation last year. His only electoral qualification, in fact, is his failed bid against Cheri Jahn in 2010.
We want to know: who do you think will be the next Jefferson County commissioner from District 2, John Odom or Casey Tighe? Remember, vote for the candidate you think will win, not the candidate you’d like to win.
We’ve previously discussed how State Senator Evie Hudak’s sponsorship and support of any bill that even remotely relates to “JOBS” will be a useful piece of ammunition in her competitive re-election bid against Republican Lang Sias.
Today, Hudak’s legislative centerpiece jumped over its first (and smallest) hurdle.
From the Colorado Senate Democrats:
DENVER-Today, the Senate passed Senate Bill 1, the HIRE Colorado Act, sponsored by Senator Evie Hudak (D-Westminster). The HIRE (Helping Individuals Realize Employment) Colorado Act is designed to create jobs for Coloradans by giving a preference to companies seeking state contracts when those companies agree to employ 90 percent Colorado workers for the job, certify that they are providing those workers with quality benefits, and offer access to a federally qualified apprenticeship training program. This legislation will aid Coloradans in not just finding employment, but employment with adequate medical and retirement benefits and the opportunity to advance.
Senator Hudak offered the following comment on the passage of the HIRE Colorado Act today:
“As lawmakers, regardless of party, we have a moral obligation to work for the betterment of our constituents, to improve the state’s economy and to get Coloradans back to work. Over the last two years, we have spent close to $800 million to pay people in other states to do work for Colorado. This is a common sense bill that will work to reinvest our state taxpayers’ money within our borders, employ workers here, and reenergize local economies.”
The HIRE Colorado Act will direct state agencies that award contracts exceeding $1 million to give up to a five percent preference to a company that bids on a the contract based on a specific set of criteria. In the case of a service contract a three percent preference is available for a contractor that certifies that at least 90 percent of their employees are Colorado residents. Contractors can receive an additional two percent preference if they certify that they are offering employees health care and retirement benefits.
In the case of construction contracts for a public project a three percent preference is given to a contractor that certifies that at least 90 percent of their employees are Colorado residents. An additional one percent preference is available if the contactor certifies that they offer health care and retirement benefits, and another one percent is available if the workers have access to an apprentice training program approved by the United States Department of Labor. Any company can take advantage of the preference regardless of where it is based. Any company that chooses to hire Colorado workers will qualify.
Currently 26 states offer some sort of preference process for state contracts. The HIRE Colorado Act is a key component in the Senate Majority’s “Colorado Works Jobs package,” a series of bills that will be introduced throughout the session focused on continued job creation and economic growth.
This legislation is sponsored in the House by Representative Su Ryden (D-Aurora) and Representative Crisanta Duran (D-Denver). It will now be heard in the House of Representatives.
Hudak’s communications shepherds couldn’t have phrased it better: this is indeed a common-sense bill that should ostensibly receive bi-partisan support with little effort. While incentivizing local labor for state contracts does run up against the “free market” to some extent, Republicans in the House will have a hard time rationalizing their opposition to a bill that could create jobs.
If the bill passes the House, Governor Hickenlooper’s signature is all but assured and Hudak’s campaign arsenal is expanded not inconsiderably.
If however, House Republicans are able to strike down the HIRE Colorado Act against their better judgement, Hudak will still be able to campaign on this issue. She’ll simply need to ask if Lang Sias would’ve supported the bill if he was empowered to do so. If he answers affirmatively, Hudak’s able to say that even her opponent thinks she’s working to create jobs. If he doesn’t, Hudak can flip the argument: unlike Sias, she’s committed to improving Colorado’s economy.
The entire race won’t rest on this issue. But because the next senator from SD-19 will likely be elected by a razor-thin margin, barring revelations, of course, of a dead boy or live girl, every small talking point can have a major impact.
It’s because there’s something so compelling about Corrie Houck‘s primary challenge to incumbent HD-1 Rep. Jeanne Labuda that we’ve devoted several pieces to profiling that race. Houck and Labuda, remember, were previously on relatively good terms – Houck was heavily involved in HD-1 leadership while Labuda sat in the HD-1 seat. That Houck is primarying Labuda despite, or perhaps because of, their relationship makes for good political fodder. It’s almost as if it were a campaign between spurned lovers. Indeed, there’s something enthralling about any surprise primary – take Brian Carroll’s campaign against Andy Kerr in Jeffco or Marsha Looper’s challenge to Amy Stephens in El Paso County.
The Houck campaign, it seems, has turned that same political fodder into political grapeshot of sorts.
From The Colorado Statesman’s Ernest Luning:
Saying she “wanted to counter a few things said about me by my opponent,” Houck blasted Labuda’s charge that a primary fight was “opening the doors for a Republican to win this seat,” displaying a chart that showed Democrats making up 45 percent of the district’s voters, overwhelming the 25-percent Republican registration.
“It’s almost mathematically impossible for a Republican to take over this seat, and it was purposely designed to be a safe seat,” Houck said.
Further, Houck contended, if Democrats were worried about losing the seat, Labuda’s House colleagues and state party leadership would have rallied around the incumbent the way they did around state Rep. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, when a primary challenger emerged last fall.
“If I was disrupting the party out here, don’t you think someone would be intervening in this situation?” Houck asked.
A Democratic official told The Colorado Statesman that Kerr’s situation provoked an unusual response precisely because he represents a Jefferson County swing district – potentially tougher to keep in the Democratic column if a primary had drained resources – and cautioned against drawing any conclusion other than that the party was decidedly neutral in the HD 1 primary.
Labuda fired back by slamming a pair of blog posts reprinted from the political sites Colorado Pols and Denver Pols that were included in a packet of campaign material Houck handed to delegates. One of the anonymous posts claimed that the House Majority Project, an organization charged with electing Democrats, was forced to divert funds to defend Labuda’s seat against a Republican challenger in 2010, possibly costing the party control of the chamber by a single seat.
“I’m bothered by this,” Labuda began, “so I have to say something about this now. This comes from a blog, and you know what a blog is – people put on things they don’t have to answer for.” She said the blog got it wrong about the House Majority Project. “The House Majority Project does not communicate with citizens like you, unfortunately; they deal with me, because I’m a candidate. Anything that is said about the House Majority Project in here, the House Majority Project took care of that – it’s completely false.” [POLS EMPHASIS]
Labuda went on to dispute Houck’s claims that she’s too cozy with payday lenders, claiming she’s voted against the industry more often than she’s taken its side in legislative battles.
“I know we have to rein in predatory lenders, but I also know that people need options,” Labuda said. She said she has neighbors who borrow from the outfits when they have to.
“I know other professional people who have gone and taken short-term loans from payday lenders. They’re needed. I want to keep options open for people,” she said, adding that voting against a bill doesn’t necessarily mean a lawmaker disagrees with the broad intentions of the legislation.
“I don’t vote for all payday lender bills,” she said. “Unfortunately, I don’t vote for all education bills. Some bills just aren’t written well. You think of the ‘Right to Work’ law. What does the Right to Work law do? It doesn’t give us the right to work, it gives some employers the right to fire us. That’s the way some bills are written.”
She took at least a couple more swings at the blog posts distributed by her primary opponent.
“I’m still bothered by that stuff that’s in that blog that’s just full of falsehoods,” she said, making a face and discarding her prepared remarks to hammer the other blog entry, which called Labuda insensitive for comparing payday lending borrowers with alcoholics.
“The comparison to alcoholism,” an exasperated Labuda said, “I’m not trying to demean anybody. I’m just trying to point out that for every legal item out there, there’s some people that aren’t able to use it correctly. I’m trying very hard to keep payday lending around for people who need it.”
We stand by our original commentary on both the nature of Houck’s primary campaign as well as Labuda’s asinine remarks on payday lending outfits. We invite Rep. Labuda and Ms. Houck to air their comments on either issue.
That said, Houck patently cannot have it both ways. It is ridiculous for her to defend her primary challenge by noting that it is “mathematically impossible” for a Republican to win in HD-1 while at the same time passing out campaign literature that implies she’s the better candidate because Labuda cannot easily hold the seat. If Houck is so certain that any Democratic candidate will win, why can’t that candidate be the three-term incumbent?
As regards the payday lending issue, Labuda continues to err by even bringing up her ill-informed remarks at all. We understand that she probably misspoke in comparing payday-lendees to alcoholics. After all, in the era of the ten second soundbite, no politician in their right mind would make that kind of statement intentionally. We hope.
Instead of vacillating, though, all Rep. Labuda needed to say last week was something to the effect of “I misspoke” before going on to say “I’m trying very hard to keep payday lending around for people who need it.”
In politics, perception is just as important as reality. That Labuda’s comments on payday lenders can even be perceived as offensive means that they probably are offensive. Rather than attempting to justify what, by any measure, were incredibly insensitive remarks, Labuda just needs to reframe the issue. To her credit, she attempted to do exactly that. But she needs to do it better. Referring to insidious “blog posts” isn’t nearly as effective as simply admitting her mistake. Let’s be clear: it was an enormous mistake for Labuda to even mention alcoholism in the same breath as payday-lending borrowers. We didn’t make that mistake – we just pointed it out.
We don’t have a horse in this race. Jeanne Labuda is correct: the Houck campaign should be the ones putting together a campaign instead of relying on our commentary. After all, it’s Houck’s name that will be on the ballot, not ours. But Labuda has opened herself up to criticism and the widespread belief that she’s an ineffective campaigner. That criticism will continue if she continues to make mistakes no incumbent representative should be making.
If you received a copy of the Houck campaign literature featuring our blog posts, we’d love to see it. Just e-mail us: info@denverpols.com
Respectfully submitted. WSJ: Speaking on CNN Wednesday morning, [Romney communications advisor Eric] Fehrnstrom was asked if the campaign worried that Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich “might force the governor to tack so far to the right it would hurt him with moderate voters in the general election.” To which Mr. Ferhnstrom responded: “Well, I think […]
Arizona Sheriff Joe “Asshat” Arpaio is at it again. Seems like a really good use of taxpayer money, don’t it? From CBS News: Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, announced Thursday that his six-month investigation had found that “probable cause exists indicating that forgery and fraud may have been committed” in the release of […]
The Colorado Statesman’s inimitable Ernest Luning last week gave his rundown of the top 12 tightest legislative races to watch in 2012.
Lo and behold, nearly half of all of those races are in Jeffco.
It’s just four months until Colorado voters cast ballots in the June primary, and already the battle for control of the General Assembly is taking shape.
Following last year’s contentious reapportionment fight, which scrambled districts statewide and resulted in an unusually high number of competitive districts – at least as measured by voter registration statistics – both Republicans and Democrats are vying for majorities in the state House and Senate. Republicans currently hold a one-vote margin in the House, and Democrats control the Senate by five votes, but an unprecedented turnover in the chambers means those majorities could be entirely up for grabs this year.
The Colorado Statesman has compiled a list of the 12 legislative races – including a handful of primaries – to watch this year, based on interviews with party strategists, campaign operatives, candidates and neutral observers. At the end of each month up to the election, we’ll update the list to reflect changes in the ranking based on what’s sure to be a dynamic campaign year.
…
1. Senate District 22 – Democratic state Rep. Andy Kerr vs. Republican state Rep. Ken SummersThis is the marquee legislative race this year because it pits two solidly partisan, veteran lawmakers against each other in a quintessential swing district smack in the middle of bellwether Jefferson County. It’s also the contest that has seen the most twists and turns on the way to the final line-up, promising plenty of excitement right down to the wire. Reapportionment maps crowded state Reps. Kerr and Summers, along with Democratic state Rep. Max Tyler, into the same House district, leaving Kerr and Summers to emerge as candidates for the open Senate seat.
Rated: A pure toss-up.
…
3. House District 29 – Incumbent Republican state Rep. Robert Ramirez vs. Democratic challenger Tracy Kraft-TharpEven if this north Jefferson County district weren’t one of the most evenly divided in the state, it would still feature one of the most hotly contested races if only because of its symbolic value. This was the seat that flipped control of the House from Democrats to Republicans in 2010 when Ramirez toppled state Rep. Debbie Benefield by a mere 197 votes. Since that win, House Speaker Frank McNulty has been touting Ramirez as the linchpin for Republicans. Though he briefly flirted with a run for his Senate seat, by all appearances he’s working as hard to keep his seat as he did to win it the first time around, facing a strong challenge from lawyer Kraft-Tharp, a Democratic Party stalwart.
Rated: Pure toss-up.
…
6. Senate District 19 – Incumbent Democratic state Sen. Evie Hudak vs. Republican challenger Lang SiasRepublicans want this Arvada and Westminster seat in a big way, evidenced by a flurry of TV ads – yes, TV ads! – already unleashed on Hudak in an attempt to soften her up for past congressional candidate Sias. The ads went after Hudak for supporting last fall’s failed ballot initiative Proposition 103. It would have raised state taxes by $3 billion to fund education, a hot-button issue Democrats aren’t too worried will irreparably damage the former teacher, whose views on education funding are hardly a secret. On the heels of his losing primary to run against U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, Sias brings campaign experience and the past backing of U.S. Sen. John McCain to the suburban battleground.
Rated: Hudak’s familiarity with district gives her a slight edge, but Sias could benefit from sour voter mood.
…
7. House District 28 – Republican Amy Attwood vs. the winner of a Democratic primary between Brian Carroll and Brittany PettersenBy the numbers alone, this Lakewood district ought to be a safe Democratic seat, but the combination of a combative Democratic primary and a seasoned Republican candidate make the outcome less predictable. Attwood knows the district inside and out, having run a failing bid for Lakewood City Council and gotten a jump on the partisan side as an aide to state Rep. Ken Summers, who is running for an open Senate seat. She’ll have the advantage of campaigning unobstructed through June while the Democrats slog through a primary. Campaign organizer Pettersen jumped in the race last week at the urging of local Democrats who feared Carroll had burned too many bridges during his short-lived primary challenge last fall against state Rep. Andy Kerr, when Carroll ran as the first openly gay veteran to launch a bid following the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military rule.
Rated: Pettersen looks strong out of the gate, and if primary isn’t too bruising could hold the advantage in November.
…
8. House District 23 – Incumbent Democratic state Rep. Max Tyler vs. Republican challenger Rick EnstromTouted as a top example of Republican legislative candidate recruitment efforts this year, Enstrom’s bid to unseat Tyler could give the Democrat his first real race in the central Jefferson County district. The candy man brings a solid record of public service and mainstream GOP positions to a race Republicans hope to turn into a referendum on Tyler’s more liberal approach to government.
Rated: Leans Tyler, but Enstrom will make him work for it.
We think Luning is spot on in almost all of his analysis. The campaign between Kerr and Summers isn’t simply the most compelling in Jeffco, it’s an incredibly important indicator of Colorado’s political temperature as 2012 progresses. There’s good reason it’s the top race to watch.
We disagree, however, that the race between Kraft-Tharp and Ramirez is a toss-up. Kraft-Tharp is outraising the sitting representative, after all. Ramirez’s brief exit from the House race only bolsters the perception that Kraft-Tharp is the candidate to beat, and that perception will only lead to increased fundraising. Luning’s right that the dynamics of this race may very well change between now and November – Ramirez will no doubt receive a healthy amount of outside support from those wanting to preserve the razor-thin GOP majority in the House – but we think Kraft-Tharp is currently enjoying a definite edge. Ramirez knows it, too.
As for the House District 28 campaign, we agree that Pettersen is making the best case for the Democratic nomination right now in part because of her backing from prominent “local Democrats.” If Carroll can argue, however, that he’s learned from his past indiscretions and if he continues pulling in enough money, he’ll swiftly fill the gap. He’ll also need to demonstrate that he didn’t move into Lakewood just to run for office.
Either way, we give Attwood the advantage against either Democratic candidate. Unlike both Carroll and to a lesser extent Pettersen, Attwood is well-known in Lakewood. Yes, she lost her last campaign for Lakewood City Council, but that only gives her impetus to work that much harder for the house seat. And we suspect that many Lakewood voters wish Attwood had won her last election, given Councilman Dave Wiechman’s recent problems.
Advil–works in a pinch! Save the date, Larimer County Republicans: 2012 Lincoln Day Dinner Wyoming resident, American business success story and great Republican Foster Friess is going to be our Lincoln Day Dinner speaker April 6, Hilton Hotel Fort Collins. Former CU Regent Tom Lucero will be Master of Ceremonies; we need silent auction items; […]
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