Monday, September 4, 2006

Ritter or Beauprez for governor? Colorado Confidential: "An intriguing analysis by the Rocky Mountain News of which zip codes are supplying gubernatorial candidates Republican Bob Beauprez and Democrat Bill Ritter with the most campaign cash shows a fierce fundraising battle between the two candidates, who count six of the same zip codes in their top ten list, all in the Denver metro area. What the Rocky fails to note, however, perhaps because newspapers often think it too 'obvious,' is the significance of the fact that the the top contributing zip codes are in wealthy areas. This is because very few people of ordinary means can afford to shell out the maximum $1,000 contribution. Nationwide, only one half of one percent of the adult population gave a contribution of $200 or more to a federal campaign in the 2004 elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 8:36:22 AM

Gay marriage and the guberntorial election Denver Post: "For an issue that some political observers believe will not play a major role in determining Colorado's next governor, the debate over gay marriage and domestic partnerships has been giving the two leading gubernatorial candidates headaches lately. On Saturday, the day after Democratic candidate Bill Ritter told The Denver Post's editorial board he would support changing the state's statute that defines marriage, he issued a statement clarifying that he believes marriage is between a man and a woman. Last month, Republican Bob Beauprez's campaign clarified its own stance, correcting a 5280 magazine article that paraphrased Beauprez saying he is OK with same-sex unions. Instead, the Republican said he supports the ability of all people to enter into contractual agreements... "[Eric] Sondermann said that because of Amendment 43 and Referendum I, both on the November ballot, the issue of gay marriage will be on people's minds, but he said it probably won't be the deciding issue of the election... "Ritter believes marriage is between a man and a woman. Ritter supports Referendum I, a measure that would recognize domestic partnerships in Colorado. He opposes Amendment 43, which would write into the state's constitution that marriage is between a man and a woman, because, Dreyer said, Ritter doesn't believe the state constitution is the proper place to deal with the issue. Ritter is open to changing the state statute defining marriage as between a man and a woman to include a recognition of civil unions... "Beauprez also believes marriage is between a man and a woman, campaign manager John Marshall said Sunday. Beauprez supports Amendment 43 but not Referendum I because its language is limited to same-sex couples. Beauprez supports the rights of all adults to enter into normal contractual agreements, Marshall said. Those agreements may be between same-sex partners for things like hospital visitation rights, but they also may be between neighbors, roommates, co-workers or people with other relationships where love and fidelity aren't components." More coverage from Saturday's Denver Post. They write, "Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter said Friday that he would support changing the state's definition of marriage - then backed off the statement the next day." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 7:54:08 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 10/1/06; 8:44:12 AM.