General Election Predictions

Predicions are rounded to half a percent.

Governor
John Hickenlooper 47.5%
Tom Tancredo 45%
Dan Maes 6.5%

US Senate
Ken Buck 50%
Michael Bennet 48.5%

Treasurer
Walker Stapleton 51.5%
Cary Kennedy 48.5%

SOS
Scott Gessler 49.5%
Bernie Buescher 46.5%
Amanda Campbell 4%

Attorney General
John Suthers 56.5%
Stan Garnett 43.5%

CD-1
Diana DeGette 59%
Mike Fallon 38.5%

CD-2
Jared Polis 59%
Stephen Bailey 39%

CD-3
Scott Tipton 51.5%
John Salazar 48%

CD-4
Cory Gardner 48.5%
Betsey Markey 45.5%

CD-5
Doug Lamborn 59%
Kevin Bradley 39.5%

CD-6
Mike Coffman 59.5%
John Flerlage 40%

CD-7
Ryan Frazier 49.5%
Ed Perlmutter 49%

Maes Lieutenant Governor Short-List

Update

Tambor Williams- Former state rep out of HD 50, Tambor brings in the establishment as she also worked in the Owens administration. Apparently Mark Hillman has been touting her to be on the ticket as well as numerous others. While Williams does bring in the party, it hurts Maes' outsider image.
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Ray Martinez- Former popular Fort Collins Mayor. Martinez served in the army and police force. Martinez worked to strengthen relations with the Hispanic community and the police. Martinez shares some background with Maes while still being out of Maes’ base, something very much needed in a three way race. Martinez is not an establishment pick, but he does bring some aspect of the establishment with him as well as public service. Martinez is sure to be on Maes’ short list.
Shawn Mitchell- There has been a recent movement to get Mitchell on the ballot with Maes. Serving in the state senate, Mitchell also brings in some establishment ties, but there is no doubt he is his own man. Mitchell is popular and a good orator, but doesn’t bring in much outside Maes’ current conservative base. He would be a safe pick and a strong lieutenant governor.

Lola Spradley- The first woman Speaker of the House and the lieutenant governor pick under Marc Holtzman, Spradley brings in the old guard with proven experience and leadership. Spradley was a while ago though and has not been in the public eye since 2006. Spradley would be an interesting pick and certainly well received.

Lionel Rivera- Current Colorado Springs a Mayor and former candidate for CD-5, Rivera is very popular in his area. Like Martinez, Rivera served in the Army as a Captain. Martinez has a strong public service record in Colorado Springs being elected to the city council, being the first Hispanic Vice Mayor and now current Mayor. Colorado Springs is mostly under Maes’ belt, but Rivera would add to the ticket, not as much as Martinez though.

John Elway- This is a wild card. Elway would bring much needed money into the ticket and as a businessman, adds to Maes’ resume. Elway isn’t new to politics, though he hasn’t run for office (though often touted as a potential candidate). Elway is unlikely to be on Maes’ short list, but he would surely stir things up in the race.

While there are many other possible picks, we feel these are, or at least should be, on Maes' short list.

Primary Predictions

Based off of recent polls and voter group breakdown, we have come up with our primary predictions for tonight.

Ken Buck 53%
Jane Norton 47%
Ken Buck has the momentum on his side with energized tea party supporters behind him and the fact that El Paso and Weld County especially have polls open today which will bring in huge numbers for Ken.

Dan Maes 52%
Scott McInnis 48%
A lot of voters are expected to leave this one blank which increases Dan Maes' chances. Maes has the energy and momentum on his side as well as a strong lead in the female vote, which is more likely to vote in the primaries.

Michael Bennet 51%
Andrew Romanoff 49%
This is one of the hardest races to predict. You've all seen the recent polls with both Romanoff and Bennet leading. PPP shows Bennet leading with older and younger voters as well as woman.

Ryan Frazier 59%
Lang Sias 41%
Frazier has been in the race much longer than Sias, has a war chest and yard signs all over the 7th. Sias did bring in the big guns with McCain, but that isn't going to do too much for him. Sias' negative campaign may have turned some voters off from Frazier, but not on to him.

Bob McConnell 47%
Scott Tipton 53%
McConnell is sure to make some noise tonight, but in the end, we think voters will choose the more electable candidate, Scott Tipton. Palin's backing of McConnell proved he was tea party material, but was it enough to push him over the fence?

Stephen Bailey 60%
Bob Brancato 40%
After Brancato's exit before the ballot came out, then re-entrance, the campaign looked like a wreck. Bailey has been the favorite in the race and will probably stay that way tonight.

JJ Ament 56%
Walker Stapleton 44%
About a third of Colorado voters have been undecided on this race which worked into Ament's favor after recently attacking Stapleton for not showing up to recent events and forums. Ament dropped in momentum after the convention, but as picked it back up. Stapleton has had media buys, but it just might not be enough for these voters who make up their minds at the very end.

Andrew Romanoff for US Senate (Democratic Primary)

We encourage all democrats to cast their vote for Andrew Romanoff. Andrew has shown proven, strong leadership while Speaker of the House. He brought the democrats to power in Colorado when nobody thought it was possible and worked with Governor Owens and republicans countless times. In 2010, integrity matters, accountability is an asset and Andrew Romanoff is no doubt the democrat you can trust in the race for US Senate.

Romanoff is not controlled by Washington like Michael Bennet. It is clear that Bennet is a puppet of the Obama administration. When casting a vote for a gun bill, Bennet looked to Chuck Schumer and Mark Udall for approval to vote yes only because they had enough votes for the democrats to block the measure. Romanoff is his own person, caring for the people of Colorado.

We don’t agree with Romanoff on a lot of issues, but we do respect him. He is open minded and puts the voters of Colorado as the first and only priority when voting. Romanoff is qualified, skilled and capable for the Senate seat, much more than Michael Bennet. Romanoff is clearly the greatest fear for Republicans out of the two democrats. Romanoff has moved into first, passing out Michael Bennet who has outspent and outraised him by a wide margin.

In 2010, we’re hearing a lot about grassroots movements on the Republican side, but Romanoff’s campaign has been a grassroots movement on the Democratic side. There would be no candidate that could energize the Democratic Party to fight hard in 2010 than Andrew Romanoff. Therefore, we encourage all democrats to cast their vote for Andrew Romanoff because you can look him in the eye and know he’ll tell you what he feels is right and what he believes in, not what special interests or other politicians believe in.

9-12, Tea Party Groups Won't Support Tancredo, Ask Him To Reconsider

Lu Busse, Chair of the 9-12 Project Colorado Coalition, sent out an open letter to Tom Tancredo, urging him to reconsider his ultimatum of joining the gubernatorial race as a 3rd party candidate and thus assuring defeat for Republicans. If Tancredo wants a real shot at this, he'd need 9-12 and Tea Party groups behind him as a base, and it's clear that not even these conservative/libertarian groups want him in the Governor's race.

Dear Congressman Tancredo:


Many Coloradans and liberty movement individuals respect you for your courage and honorable service to this state. But, we ask what really has changed, and how your High Noon ultimatum issued July 22nd reflects the principles and values you have long stood for? This ultimatum seems out of character and completely contradicts the sage advice you offered us in an open letter on December 21, 2009 and reiterated again passionately at a joint 9-12 Project/Tea Party event on January 16, 2010.

We would like to remind you of this particular section of your open letter, which continues to resonate with us even today:

Yes, over the last decade, many individuals left the Republican Party because George Bush led the national party to abandon its principles and support several big government programs. But leaving the party is not the answer. Fighting for your principles and reshaping the party is the answer.

Throughout our nation's history, third parties have never succeeded in taking power and running the government. They have sometimes succeeded in pushing a major party in a new direction, but just as often, they succeeded only in electing the more liberal candidate after many conservatives waste their votes on a third party candidate. Remember 1992? Ross Perot never had a chance to be president, but he did help elect Bill Clinton.

Here in Colorado we have an uphill road in 2010, but the good news is we have the opportunity for a broad resurgent victory if we work together. - Tom Tancredo Over 800,000 Coloradans or 33% of likely voters, including almost 550,000 or 64% of likely Republican voters in our state, have joined the "Tea Party* movement in the past 17 months. We clearly demonstrated at the precinct causes and state assembly a significant portion of the 9-12 Project, Tea Party and other pro-liberty grassroots individuals have worked tirelessly for more than a year championing our principles, becoming engaged and informed, learning the political process, vetting candidates at all levels, and also reshaping the Colorado Republican Party as you advised. We trusted and listened to you among others; but, now you do not trust the Republican voters of Colorado to thoughtfully and logically evaluate the choices before us. You want to impose your personal choice and will over the will of the people. You are subverting the process and our will. This is the opposite of the liberty movement and what we are about.

Since your ultimatum, several liberty groups have queried their members and found about 2/3 (66% of 754 responses - over 250 more than used in Rasmussen polls for Colorado) of the responders to this non-scientific internal survey would not vote for you in the Governor's race. This does not foretell a conservative victory, but rather an impending disaster, assuring victory for Mayor Hickenlooper and the liberal agenda in Colorado for at least four more years. Congressman Tancredo, together our groups strongly urge you to reconsider, withdraw your ultimatum, stay in the Republican Party, let the process play out for the Governor's race within the rules already set forth, and continue to help us improve this party, its candidates, and the process - in other words to trust and respect the newly awakened, energized and informed voters of Colorado.

Pledging our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor to Colorado and our Constitutional Republic, the United States of America -

9-12 Pikes Peak Patriots

9-12 Project Liberty Circle

Broomfield 9-12 Project

Cherry Creek District 9-12 Project

Colorado 9-12 Project (Including Denver metro area, Front Range communities & Eastern I-70 corridor)Elbert County Tea Party

Four Corners 9-12 Project/TEA Party Patriots (Cortez)Four Corners Liberty Restoration Group (including Bayfield & Durango 9-12 Project/Tea Party)Greeley 9-12 Project

Longmont 9-12/Tea Party

R Block Party

South Denver 9-12 Project

The 9-12 Project Colorado Coalition

The912Project.us Network - Colorado Chapter

The Constitutionalist Today Editorial Board

Tri-County 9-12 Project (Delta/Montrose/Ouray)Two Rivers 9-12 Project

Vail Valley 9-12 Project

We Will Not Fall - Fort Collins 9-12 Project

Western Slope Conservative Alliance

Windsor 9-12 Project

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Ryan Frazier For Congress

Ryan Frazier is the clear conservative choice in CD-7. Ryan balances strong qualities and experience of powerful public speaking, a fiscally common sense conservative record, naval background and having been elected on the city council at-large in Aurora to make him the most electable conservative to face Ed Perlmutter. There is no one more passionate in the republican field for Congress than Ryan Frazier. Ryan has traveled the state and the district talking to people who know and feel the problems of a burdening government, of high taxes and of limited freedoms and liberties. Ryan knows Colorado, he knows what must be done in Congress.

Ryan not only focuses on the short term problems, like our current economic situation, but also the extended long term problems that are driving our nation into unbelievable debt that can and will cripple our nation if we do not act now like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Ryan knows we have to work with every aspect of the problem to create a sensible solution. As life expectancy rises, it is ridiculous to push forward a plan to lower the retirement age, its common sense ideas like this that makes Ryan Frazier the right guy to send to Washington. Ryan knows it won’t be easy, but he knows it must be done. We must cut our budget, we must cut government programs, we must pay off our debt and close the deficit completely and we must pass a balanced budget because he knows and believes that we owe it to our children for a better America.

Ryan is a very unique candidate. It is not often you get a candidate with such a rich, diverse background who is a conservative and also has the funds and election knowledge and history to take on a liberal democrat with a large war chest. 2010 will be the Republican’s best shot to win CD-7 for the next decade and Ryan Frazier the best candidate that could possibility go up against Ed Perlmutter and the best man to do the job in Congress.

We need accountability, we need integrity, we need experience and we need common sense conservative values. That is what Ryan Frazier brings to the table. I encourage all CD-7 Republicans to cast their ballots for Ryan Frazier.

The Tancredo Factor

Tom Tancredo recently announced his intentions to run for Governor on a third party ticket.

Tancredo called for Dan Maes and Scott McInnis to both announce if they win the primary, they will drop out so the GOP executive board can pick a replacement. 2 years of grassroots, tea party, 912, and activists movements for nothing then.

Tancredo would definitely be a threat to Republican's chances of winning the Governor's race. However, if he did run, history would remember Tancredo screwed the GOP's chances, not Maes' clerical error or McInnis' plagiarism scandal. While Tancredo would have some momentum at the beginning of his campaign and shortly after the primary, we predict the campaign would sink a few weeks out to the extent that Tancredo wouldn't even be able to win a single county.

Tancredo is mostly a single issue, anti-immigration type of guy. This represents a small minority in the GOP. There is a strong difference between caring about the illegal immigration and only caring about the illegal immigration problem. While some would suggest that McInnis would be a stronger pick for Republicans in this scenario, we see the exact opposite. Since McInnis has been viewed to be more moderate than Tancredo, a larger portion of the far right would break off to Tancredo, while if Maes was the nominee, he would keep much more of the party base and there is no chance Tancredo would move to the middle to win this.

While Tancredo says the choice is in the hands of Dan Maes and Scott McInnis, we all know that neither are going to drop out easily this far in, and surely both would not drop out, therefore if Tancredo is serious this time, he will run, and he will lose.

Ken Buck For U.S. Senate

Ken has proven to be the grassroots, conservative choice for Colorado. If you want strong conservative leadership who is not afraid of a fight, Ken Buck is your man. Buck stood up to Jane Norton as well as Washington and lobbyist interests when she got in the race to give republicans a choice between independent thinking and fiscal responsibility against a record of increased spending, support for increase of taxes in Ref C and a shady past.


Jane Norton has attacked Ken Buck for increasing the DA budget in Weld County by 40% (before they claimed 50%), Jane needs to look at the facts. Spending from 2005 to 2009 increased by only 30% when the office expanded its district and county courtrooms while the population increased by 41% and crime decreased by 50%. Buck’s predecessor’s budget increased by 32% over an equal four year period and without equally praised results or drastic changes in Weld County. There’s a difference between cutting bad government and cutting good government. Ken Buck knows this difference and will use it effectively in Congress by cutting wasteful spending, overregulation, wasteful programs and push for efficient, effective and much needed reforms in all aspects of government.

Ken Buck is not afraid to stand up to big government and special interest groups to protect the people. He proved that when he protected Weld County social security numbers and cracked down on illegal immigration while many officials pretend the problem does not exist. There is a reason tea party groups around Colorado are endorsing and helping elect Buck in an overwhelming majority, because he is a true, fighting conservative. It is one thing to be a conservative and another to be an active voice, to have both is what we need in Washington and that is the option Ken Buck gives us.

I have watched Ken grow over the past year from events, forums and assemblies and he has proven to be the most electable candidate. Ken Buck is not only the most conservative choice for Colorado, but he is also the best bet for a senate pick-up against either Andrew Romanoff or Michael Bennet and the polls back that up.

Now more than ever, we need leaders we can trust, that we can count on, who have integrity and will do the right thing for Colorado. It is disappointing to see Americans have to choose between corrupt politicians to represent them in Washington or political puppets who have been chosen in closed door meetings by big lobbyists and big names. Ken Buck is neither and in fact the exact opposite of that. Colorado can count on Ken Buck 100% to vote with a conscience and for the state of Colorado. That is why I support Ken Buck and encourage everyone else to do the same. We need sensible leadership now.

Primary Endorsements

This week we will be coming out with primary endorsements in the following races so stay tuned in.

Republican US Senate Primary

Democratic US Senate Primary
Republican CD-7 Primary
Republican CD-3 Primary
Republican Treasurer Primary

Scandals In The Race For Governor

Scott McInnis just apologized for plagiarizing work for water rights articles he "wrote". McInnis was paid $300,000 for the articles and when the story broke, the campaign blamed it on an aide to McInnis at the time. So McInnis is saying that he was paid $300,000 when his staffer plagiarized and "wrote" the articles for him?

Dan Maes recently agreed to pay a lowered fine of $17,500 for campaign violations including improper mileage reimbursement, improper intake of a corporate donation of free fliers (which only cost around $500) and for not putting the occupation of nine donors (a volunteer's mistake after filing hundreds). Maes called the reason for the fines were simple clerical error.

Now there isn't anything on Hickenlooper, but I can just about guarantee the gloves will come off after the August 10th primary, for now Hickenlooper is laying low and out of the line of fire while campaigning across the state.

Our prediction is that McInnis' articles will hurt him a lot more than Maes' meager fines for a couple of mistakes after never being a candidate before. To get polling on the race go to http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/ and vote for Colorado.

Fundamental Education Replacement, Not Reform

Today, America’s children are stuck in a situation of 13 wasted years of school. Now does this mean that every second spent in the classroom was a waste? No. However, the way our current education system is set up wastes the most of it. Should students not direct themselves and choose their own futures? Shouldn’t they be allowed to start looking at different options, different career paths, and different areas of study through these 13 years? Now school boards, teachers and politicians will say that students can choose their futures, they can direct their own path in high school and middle school with electives and that in high school there is even more freedom. I’ve been told this numerous times, yet it is not the truth of reality. In reality students know exactly what they must do to get into a specific college, to graduate, etc. Now if you want to be a scientist, it makes since to take a lot of different science classes and start to look into what particular field you should enter. However, why should one’s focus be on science classes to get into a college that looks closely at your science classes and grades when in that college you want to major in English or Liberal Arts? I’m not saying no one should have to take science, I’m saying no one’s priority should have to be science when it makes no since that a student waste time on extra AP and honors science classes when their direction is nothing near science.

The potential excitement and energy we could create would be enormous if students could choose what would best benefit their own lives and futures in school, especially high school. The opportunities would be immense for students to be able to look into every direction of what they might want to study in the future and in college or in life and work. Forcing students to take certain classes to only graduate at the top of their class is extremely stupid when in the long run, they’ll get to college and the real world and know absolutely nothing of what they’d want to do, then be forced to eventually choose a major and direction and then realize too late, they absolutely hate what they are doing. Nobody cares about our current failed curriculum in the real word and there is no use for it. If you want to be a scientist, learn science. If you want to do something with math and physics, take those courses. If you don’t know, try out as many things as possible. But there is absolutely no logic in requiring students to take 13 years of science when they don’t want to be in the direction of science.

Are basic fundamentals important? Yes. Is forced diversity in the subject choices important? To an extent. There is need to throw new things at students, to challenge them, to open up doors, but there is no need at all to require them to take years and years of something that will not pertain to them in the future and if they decide much later on to switch directions, then they can learn it then. If you’re going to be an engineer, you will learn all you need going through your engineering major and in the real world. There’s no point though, in moving every student on the track to become an engineer. For every student, somehow and somewhere in their lives as a student, teaching and class time will be a waste for them in some area.

Think of the possibility of a more productive, more caring world with time much better spent. With energy high and the want to learn high. Think of how much more likely it would be to bring a kid out of the darkest alley and on the road to success if he or she had the ability to choose their future and a drive to actually want to their what they choose to learn. It is amazing to think how much more advanced our society and each one of us could be when maximizing these 13 years to the best of our abilities.

There is a number of things we can do from the government’s side, from the teacher’s side and the community’s side to benefit students in education.

*School choice

*Updated technology

*Qualified and caring teachers

*Greater choice and variety of electives

*Merit-based bonuses

*Parent, Teach, and Student communication

*Well used time and a meaningful core curriculum

However, the one key element that will keep America from being the top in the world education wise, is the drive and heart of the students. Government, teachers and the community can reach out a hand, but unless students hold on to that hand, we can never be the best. No matter how much we spend wisely, no matter how much effort is put into the system, if students do not care to learn, it is all a waste because that motivation is the difference from failure and success.

As a nation, we should owe it to the students to give them every tool they need to succeed, as well as the opening of the door of motivation. And as students, when that door of motivation is open, it is the student’s duty to use it to the best of their ability. Together education can be replaced and put back on the right tracks. Alone, no one can do the task that faces us.

We are running out of time. Countries all around the globe are getting smarter and more efficient much faster than us. We need replacement of our current education system now in both K-12 and higher education. Students, parents and teachers must work together as well as higher and lower education systems. If one of those elements is missing, fundamental education replacement will not be possible, and we must have replacement. Starting right now, we need replacement; because it is long overdue.

We welcome your comments and suggestions.

Convention Thoughts

I was able to attend the CD-7 Assembly on Thursday as well as the State Convention on Saturday. Here are some of my thoughts.


CD-7 WINNERS
1) Lang Sias: Lang has improved 200% in speaking and just being a candidate of the past months. His campaign closed a huge gap with Frazier to end the assembly 43-48. Sias' biggest problem though is raising money. He has had big names behind him for a while, McCain, Tancredo, Beauprez...yet he still cannot raise a dime. Sias cannot win a primary against Frazier's war chest of over 600k without the money needed for commercials.

3) Ken Buck: After his standing ovation following the appearance of Jane Norton, it was clear Ken Buck was the caucus, hard-core-conservative favorite. His speech doesn’t need to be remembered, only that he outperformed Jane Norton through his actions to stick through the caucus like he started instead of false words as Norton has gone around the state preaching.

2) Ryan Frazier: Frazier came on top for the ballot. While Sias has propelled through the assembly to catch up to him, Frazier beat him back. Had Sias gotten the top spot, Frazier’s theme of “I’m the one that can win” would immediately be halted. Frazier continues to overpower the room with his energy and voice. Watching him go against Ed in a debate would be something.

LOSERS
1) Mike Deeming: He had a nomination and a second of the nomination…and only one vote…enough said.

2) Jane Norton: When Jane showed up at the assembly, the very thing she skipped out on because she was too chicken, her actions had consequences. The crowd did not even give her attention while speaking, and rightfully so.

STATE CONVENTION WINNERS
1) Dan Maes: By just 16 votes, Dan Maes and the conservative movement, beat the establishment candidate, Congressman Scott McInnis. Even comparing the two speeches it was very clear that Dan Maes has a clear advantage in energy and response in the room. If you want a united party come November that is recruiting new volunteers all over…you want Dan.

2) Ken Buck: Buck winning almost 80% of the vote and keeping a potential competitor, Cleve Tidwell, off the ballot strengthened his campaign. Norton could only hope that Buck would receive under 70% to get another candidate on the ballot, but their efforts and hopes failed. Buck’s microphone cut-off (the first candidate of the day it occurred to), turned into a benefit for him as the audience cheered “We want Ken”.

3) Colorado Caucus: There’s been no closely watched and dramatic convention then 2010. After recounts for the gubernatorial race, the suspense continued to rise all day. 2010 was definitely a renewal to Colorado’s caucus system.

4) JJ Ament: JJ received a standing ovation with more cheers than even Ken Buck. Ament’s campaign hit a record high when Ali Hasan failed to make the ballot. All Ament has to face now is Walker Stapleton, who has kept quiet since his announcement to petition on. This race should be a shoe in for Ament.

5) Scott Gessler: The GOP’s only SOS candidate proved himself worthy on Saturday with a rousing speech in an area most people don’t care about. Gessler proved to me he can win a general election while touting his experience of getting Ralph Nader on the ballot…not because he liked him, but because he wanted to be fair and just.

LOSERS:
1) Jane Norton: Not only did Norton skip the caucus, but Ken Buck won by a huge margin. Momentum is in Buck’s favor and Norton only has days before her petitions are due and word has been going around for weeks that her team is having trouble collecting signatures.

2) Ali Hasan: Hasan spent a ton of money in this race only to come out short with 19% of the vote. Hasan recently took many hard balls with his “false accusations” on how Colorado is investing its money, on JJ Ament’s record, and on being under qualified for the job.

3) Cleve Tidwell: Tidwell’s only hope was to get on the ballot by the convention. When both Wiens and Norton dropped out of the convention route, things could not have gone better for the Tidwell campaign which gave them hope. However, Cleve failed to deliver an A+ speech needed to take the spotlight from Buck. While Cleve had energy, the actual speech was average while an underdog needs it to be historic.

4) Joe Gschwendtner: After saying that the campaign will be ready to go toe-to-toe against Scott when Maes didn’t make 30%, Joe threw in his marbles only to lose them. Dan Maes’ victory was a huge revival for the campaign, enough to propel him into a position to seriously challenge McInnis in a state-wide contest (money wise). After sending robo-calls to the delegates, hiring day labors to hold his signs, Joe seems like the candidate buying his way into power…and 2010 is not the year to do that.

State Convention Results

Dan Maes 49.35%
Scott McInnis 48.89%

Ken Buck 77%
Cleve Tidwell 15%

JJ Ament 78%
Ali Hasan 19%

Romanoff 60.4%
Bennet 39.6%

John Suthers and Scott Gressler won the Republican nomination by acclamation.

Analysis to come

Gschwendtner Has Empty Plan

Republican gubernatorial candidate, Joe Gschwendtner, recently released his "Vision for Colorado 2014". Do not be deceived at the length of this plan, there is a lot of empty promises that without a doubt, cannot be accomplished the way he talks. There’s many goals that seem appealing to the voter, 4% unemployment rate, cutting failing Colorado schools in half, unleashing our energy economy, cutting the $18.2 billion budget by $1 billion. However, with a vague plan and lack of detail, it does not seem possible any of that would happen in a Gschwendtner administration. My personal favorite quote in the plan is “something must be done”. I’ve heard that one before.


The plan is clear that Joe knows the current statistics, facts, rates, etc. The plan is mostly just that, what is happening now and not what Joe will do. When Joe does actually say what he plans to accomplish, he rarely includes how, mostly leaving behinds comments of “bi-partisan” solutions, or reaching agreements, or negotiating, but not what Joe is actually going to push specifically to fix Colorado’s economy, education or anything else.

For instance, the only detail Joe includes in improving public education is “We will do whatever it takes so that our children get the best education.” Isn’t that what the last guy said? How about the guy before and the guy before that? This is the same typical talk of politicians that care more about getting into office, then actually have a vision and agenda of what they want to accomplish, to change, to improve while in that office.

While negotiating is a great technique, while some ideas won’t be brought up until in office and while leadership means being able to adapt at times, why should Colorado vote for a guy that does not have specific solutions in mind to improving Colorado? I don’t know a candidate in any race in Colorado that has said “I want our schools to fail.” So by saying you’ll do what it takes to succeed is exactly what everyone else has said in the race so far.
If Joe wants to set himself apart from the herd and get on the ballot or even win this thing, he needs to make the choice clear between vision and unorganized, “typical” political types. Joe Gschwendtner failed to do that in his 2014 Vision.

Republican Primary Game Changer

Businessman and former vet, Joe Gschwendtner is entering the race for Governor today in the Republican primary field against Scott McInnis and Dan Maes.

While Maes always had one up on McInnis, working his way up from a poor background, not just working, being in the police force as well as McInnis, not being a politician or having a liberal record, and being a committed businessman, Gschwendtner has triple the up on both of them.

Besides being a Captain that served in Vietnam, or building business empires, Joe is starting out with 100k in the race. For all you guys saying you're voting for McInnis because he's the most electable, say that no more.

Press release below

Denver, CO—Mr. Joe Gschwendtner, successful entrepreneur and small businessman from Douglas County will publicly announce his bid for the office of Governor of Colorado on Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 10:00 AM inthe West Foyer of the State Capitol.


Without a doubt, the most important issue facing us in Colorado is the economy”, commented Gschwendtner. “We don’t need another politician and we certainly don’t need politics as usual. Colorado needs a Governor who has a comprehensive understanding of the problems and the background and track record to fix those problems.”

Gschwendtner recognized that he was late entering the race but went on to say, “I don’t believe it’s ever too late for the voters to have a viable conservative choice. It’s not too late for voters to have the option of an experienced business leader to guide our state through the years ahead."

Patrick Davis, veteran political consultant and strategist for the campaign commented, “We have the best choice for Governor in Gschwendtner andhe is backed by a professional team, over $100,000 cash on hand, and petitions on the street. Joe will quickly become known in Colorado. I fully expect that he will be our next Governor.”

Gschwendtner and his wife of 41 years, Barbara, live outside of Castle Rock.The public announcement will be open to members of the media. One-on-one interviews will be conducted afterwards.

The public announcement will be open to members of the media. One-on-one interviews will be conducted afterwards.

For additional comments or to schedule an interview contact:
Kyle Fisk, Communications DirectorJoe Gschwendtner for Governor Campaign
kyle@joegforcolorado.com
(720) 878-4661

Norton Attacks Buck's Personal Life

In Jane Norton's latest e-mail sent out by Josh Penry, she(he) talks about how Ken Buck is anything but an outside.

 One point I find interesting...

"Outsider? Ken Buck was the best man in Bill Ritter's wedding."

Not sure how the Norton campaign sees this as relevant to Ken Buck's ability to be an effective conservative in the Senate. If anything, Norton shouldn't be the one to attack on that point. May I remind you the dozens of large corrupt lobbyist firms and individuals pulling the strings and funding her own campaign?

Norton Shows Fear, Skips State Convention (Caucus Process)

After Buck and Tidwell started making high grand with Wiens deciding to petition on, Jane Norton must have felt the same way as she just announced she will petition on the ballot. That leaves a huge portion (and unknown exact amount) of delegates coming into the state convention without being able to vote for their favorite. Buck and Norton have started heating up together on stage so it is unlikely Norton delegates would vote for Buck, that would give Cleve Tidwell enough support at the caucus to get a spot on the ballot. Sources say that while Tidwell took only 6% at the caucus, the actual delegate count for him is much higher.

With only two viable options of Cleve Tidwell and Ken Buck, it will be very interesting to watch the state convention (assembly) in May as both men have tried to position themselves as the conservative candidate with tea party backing.

Today was probably the best news the Tidwell campaign could have heard and it just made Buck's campaign a lot more relieved knowing they will get 30% of the vote at the state convention.

Find Out What Is Happening At The Assemblies

Go to http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23COassembly&result_type=recent for live feed (although it is mostly democratic results).

So far there is a constant pattern of Romanoff outperforming Bennet in his speeches and gaining and even greater lead at most county assemblies.

Friday Update

First off it seems many viewers didn't read/figure out the post below was an April Fools joke. No, Ritter is not running for the Senate. Now off to real stuff

• JJ Ament gets Tea Party support
• Cleve Tidwell launches a money bomb to try to rake in some cash
• Bennet launches new "Washington" ad...not that he has any credibility talking about Washington and their unfunded mandates. Obama really should have spent some time looking into other rubber stamps for him that didn't seem so dorky. Hickenlooper can look dorky, everyone loves him. Bennet is a Senator nobody wanted in the first place, it just looks dumb when he isn't Senate material.
• Take a moment to thank AG John Suthers for standing up for Coloradans, against the unwanted, expensive, huge government step toward government takeover of the Health Care industry and our rights...Phone number:303-866-3617
  Fax number: 303-866-5691
  Email attorney.general@state.co.us
• Look out for Q1 fundraising. It will be interesting and critical to see how money plays out after the caucus and our first official test of how voters feel toward the state-wide candidates. Andrew Romanoff needs to bring in the cash or his 10 point victory won't mean much when Bennet has his ads up until the August primary. Buck won the Republican's race, but can he pull in more then 50k this time? It will be interesting to look at Wien's fundraising and if it's his money or not. There have been rumors Wiens is going to petition on the ballot, freeing up delegates that will more likely go to Buck or Tidwell then Norton. Can Norton continue to bring in the funds from Washington she has managed so far? Will McInnis' campaign fumble after the upset against unfunded Dan Maes who pulled 40% at the caucus and prevented McInnis from taking over 59% of the vote, contrary to the McInnis e-mail that was sent out saying Scott almost took 61%.
• Have a happy Easter and make sure the 1st amendment that protects the freedom of religion is in mind when voting at the ballot box

BREAKING: Ritter Enters Senate Race

Ritter commented today he was “disgusted” with his pick for US Senate, Michael Bennet. “Michael hasn’t shown any leadership. He just does whatever Obama and Reid tell him to do. We need real teeth in the game. We need a public option, we need to replace all coal with natural gas and replace oil with alternative fuels. I’ve decided to petition on the ballot for US Senate, I made the wrong choice picking Michael, I should have picked me.”


Ritter said he will officially launch the campaign in the coming week saying he has a strong fundraising base with hundreds of thousands in pledges. Ritter stated that his name recognition will help him in the Senate Primary. “Democrats know me, they like me. Democrats don’t know Bennet and his record is just a rubber stamp. We need a real leader in there that will fight for these issues, not just vote on them. There’s only one hundred Senators, when you’re one of them it comes with responsibility.”

When asked if President Obama had pushed him to put Bennet in office the Governor replied, “Yes he did. Him, Reid, Pelosi, Schumer. It seemed everyone wanted him so I put him in. I didn’t ask questions, I just did what they told me to do.”

Andrew Romanoff however has gone on the offense saying, “Governor Ritter calls himself a leader, yet his record proves the exact opposite. He left everyone in the House and Senate to fend for ourselves. He didn’t question Obama, Reid or Schumer when they asked for the unknown Michael Bennet. There was a clear cry from the people that I needed to be in office. I’m one of you guys, I’m one of the people. We need a people person in Washington.”

Michael Bennet could not be reached for comment, but the campaign did give us $10,000 to leave him alone for the week.

Meanwhile, Republican front-runners Ken Buck and Jane Norton were questioned on Ritter’s surprise entrance in the race. Buck said, “You know the Governor is a good person, but a crappy public official. We can’t have any more of this crap in Washington, that’s what has got us in this mess in the first place.”

Jane Norton was swiftly moved out of the room by staffers when we tried to get her comment. Later at a Republican fundraiser we again tried to talk to Norton, but her staff tackled me and my colleague as we walked over to her. Norton again was whisked away.

Ritter said he was confident he would win the three-way race and the Senate seat. Ritter said he was replacing his entire staff and hoping Opera would make some visits with him to kick-off the campaign season.







APRIL FOOLS…well mostly, except for that Norton part of being whisked away from reporters every time