Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Suthers or O'Brien for Attorney General? Elevated Voices: "One of the contested races that hasn't gotten much coverage is that for Colorado Attorney General. Democrat Fern O'Brien is challenging the Republican incumbent John Suthers... "The Attorney General is our state's top law enforcement officer. But the office handles much more than just state-wide crime. It also handles regulatory matters, like water and land rights and consumer protection. Of course, often they overlap... "O'Brien's experience is mostly in the corporate realm. Suthers, on the other hand, has spent almost his entire career as a criminal prosecutor or in corrections , where he was Executive Director of the Colorado prison system. He became Attorney General in 2004 when Gov. Owens appointed him to succeed Ken Salazar when Salazar was elected U.S. Senator... "Suthers...is an ardent opponent of the initiative to legalize adult possession of small amounts of marijuana... "Suthers also cheered the recent Colorado Supreme Court decision denying parolees the right to vote. This promises to be a race where the candidates are so different that there will be a clear choice for voters. Stay tuned, we'll have more coverage of it." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 8:13:56 AM

Ritter or Beauprez for governor? Rasmussen Reports: "[Former] Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter (D) has bolstered his advantage over Republican Representative Bob Beauprez, now leading him 48% to 39% (see crosstabs). Though often neck-and-neck earlier in the year, by May Ritter has enjoyed a modest lead in each of our recent polls. In both June and July, the Democrat held a five-point lead in our polling. Ritter continues to be better liked than his opponent, with 58% viewing the Democrat favorably, and 48% viewing Beauprez favorably." Thanks to Colorado Confidential for the link. Category: Denver November 2006 Election 8:09:39 AM

Gordon for Secretary of State? Here's an interview with Ken Gordon about gun safety from Colorado Confidential. They write, "Ken Gordon, candidate for secretary of state, was first elected to the Colorado Legislature in 1992. During his tenure, as House minority leader and later Senate majority leader, Gordon was a champion of gun safety legislation-although most of his efforts failed. We talked about why. What follows is an edited version of our conversation." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 8:06:24 AM

Rowland tabbed for Lieutenant Governor run Bob Beauprez is reaching out to the rainy side of Colorado and has named Janet Rowland as his running mate for the November election, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "About 50 Pueblo-area Republicans turned out Monday to meet the 'other half' of Rep. Bob Beauprez's campaign for governor - Mesa County Commissioner Janet Rowland, who is running for lieutenant governor. Rowland, 43, is a newcomer to statewide politics, and the former child protection caseworker told the GOP audience that a Beauprez administration would do a better job of making certain Colorado children were being educated and receiving necessary services... "While both Beauprez and Rowland were opposed to Referendum C last year, Rowland also opposed the bitterly controversial Referendum A in 2003 - a $2 billion water question that many Western Slope residents believed was aimed at diverting their water to the Front Range. Beauprez supported Referendum A, but it was beaten by a better than 2-1 margin. Having Rowland on the ticket may help Beauprez with those Western Slope voters who took a hard line on the water issue. Perhaps with that in mind, Dr. Tom Ready, the former Pueblo County GOP chairman, told the Pueblo audience that Republicans should stick together, even if they don't agree on every issue... "While Pueblo Republicans were enthusiastic in greeting Rowland, lieutenant governor candidates are not a strong factor in gubernatorial races. Ultimately, the race is a battle between those running for the state's top job - in this case, Beauprez and Ritter. Lieutenant governors are seldom heard from once the campaigns are over." Leslie Robinson was on hand yesterday in Grand Junction and reports, "Beauprez and Rowland were at the Walker Field Airport in Grand Junction, the last stop on a four-city tour, to introduce Rowland as his Lt. Governor candidate. Both read from prepared scripts about Rowland's accomplishments as social worker and community leader." ToTheRight.org: "When you're wrong, you're wrong, and we were wrong. Despite telling several people he would choose current-Lt. Gov. Jane Norton to stay on should he win, Bob Beauprez apparently had a last-minute change of heart and opted for political newcomer Janet Rowland, a Mesa County commissioner and former stay-at-home mom, for his running mate...As with Norton, we can't say this is a great pick. About the only thing Rowland offers that Beauprez doesn't is a Western Slope address and a stated opposition to Referendum A, two things that matter a lot west of the Continental Divide but not much anywhere else in the state. Sure, Rowland is an up-and-comer in the party and will provide a boost in Mesa County, maybe even in some of the other Western Slope counties, but she isn't well-known outside of the Grand Valley and she won[base ']t be able to raise much money or do a lot to fix the current crevasse in the GOP, two things Beauprez needs help with and soon." Colorado Lib: "There's some stuff Janet Rowland probably should have told Both Ways Bob Beauprez before he tapped her to be his runningmate. First, Colorado Confidential tracked down a questionnaire she filled out when she was running for county commissioner. Rowland wants to end the separation of church and state. ('It's not in the Constitution.') She wants to let all citizens carry concealed weapons without permits. She wants to outlaw all abortions. She opposes teaching evolution in schools, unless coupled with creationism. And she appears to want to outlaw atheism. ('We should have the freedom OF religion, not the freedom FROM religion.') Second, the Grand Valley Marriage Equality Council points out that when asked about gay marriage on Colorado State of Mind, Rowland responded by comparing homosexuality to 'bestiality, polygamy and incest.' And then she claimed gay couples already have the same legal protections as straight married couples. (A thread on ColoradoPols brought up this same rant.)" Category: Denver November 2006 Election 7:06:25 AM

Election Commission reform? It looks like Denver voters will get a chance to vote on a watered down version of Election Commission reform, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Denver voters will decide in November whether to streamline the way the Denver Election Commission runs its shop, if a bill passed on first reading Monday wins final approval next week. The changes are not the sweeping ones some council members had advocated after a series of budgeting and election problems and the loss of thousands of voters' records. But the proposed City Charter changes would clarify the role of the director of elections and move the employees under the city's Career Service Authority. Low morale has been cited as one of the election commission's problems. Moving the employees under the Career Service Authority would give them benefits and protections. Existing employees, however, would not be subject to civil service tests. City Councilwoman Kathleen MacKenzie said the measure 'doesn't do as much as needs to be done...It doesn't address the central problem.'" Category: Denver November 2006 Election 6:39:34 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 9/1/06; 7:22:37 AM.