Politics West: "When Bob Schaffer decided to run for Colorado's open U.S. Senate seat, he knew he probably wouldn't have a Republican primary opponent. In fact, he told party leaders in May that he would not get into the race otherwise. To help clear the field, the party invoked a formal process under what's known as 'Rule 11.' Dating back to at least the mid-1990s but little-known among many of the GOP rank and file, Rule 11 allows the national party to abandon its traditional neutral stance and back a candidate long before a primary vote. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer campaigns in the Colorado GOP primary on Aug. 11, 2004. He lost to Pete Coors, who then lost to Democrat Ken Salazar in the general election. It required the signature of the state party chairman and Colorado's two national Republican committeemen. Of the three who made the decision to back Schaffer, one -- because he holds a seat on the National Republican Committee -- was Bob Schaffer. That result is a telling moment in where the state Republican Party stands. Reeling from a series of defeats, party officials say a primary battle in the state's most important race of 2008 is a luxury they can't afford.
"But the situation looks much the same from the other side. When Democrat Mark Benner recently suggested he would challenge U.S. Rep. Mark Udall of Eldorado Springs for a chance at the Senate seat, state party chairwoman Pat Waak began a series of discussions with Benner 'about other ways to get the issues he is interested in out there.'"
Category: Denver November 2008 Election
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