RITTER'S TRUE COLORS ON THE 2ND AMENDMENT SHOW: Bill Ritter is vetoing a bill that passed the Colorado legislature with strong support from Democrats (19 Democratic representatives backed it) that would make it easier for law abiding citizens to purchase firearms.

RAYBURN FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT?: Two-time CD-5 candidate Bentley Rayburn is one of four finalists for the position of Falcon School District 49 Superintendent.

GOP TAKES REP. APUAN TO TASK: Republicans pile on Rep. Dennis Apuan over HB 1317.

LIBERTY ON THE ROCKS: Wednesday at 7:00PM at the Uptown Tavern in Denver.

The RMR Senate straw poll closed down automatically at noon yesterday, and if the results are indicative at all of the party as a whole then we could see a very fiercely contested primary. Ryan Frazier is the winner of the poll, enjoying a razor-thin victory of only 3 votes out of 155 over Mark Hillman. Bob Beauprez managed to pull 19% of the votes to come in third place, which indicates he still has some base of support out there but would face an uphill battle in a primary. Bentley Rayburn, who is said in some circles to be looking at the Senate race just as he did in 2008, barely registers.

Ryan Frazier 40% (62 votes)
Mark Hillman 38% (59 votes)
Bob Beauprez 19% (29 votes)
Bentley Rayburn 3% (5 votes)

Stay tuned for a gubernatorial straw poll later today.

Poll closes in one week.

It's official: Ken Salazar is going to be Secretary of the Interior. This obviously makes his seat one of the hottest in the country going into 2010. Bill Ritter will appoint a replacement for Salazar, but they will have next to no time in office making this basically an open seat. This also has the effect of causing some major upheaval in the Republican primary fields for the statewide races in 2010. Everyone had been seemingly lining up to challenge Bill Ritter because he looked more vulnerable than Salazar. Now, with Salazar gone, many candidates who were previously considering gubernatorial campaigns will go over to the Senate race.

Josh Penry, who has been rumored to have been looking at both CD-3 and the Governor's race, would be a more logical candidate for Salazar's Senate seat at this point. Penry's relatively young age could be a problem running against an incumbent for an executive office. A run for the open Senate seat would play to Penry's strengths on the other hand. His experience as a State Representative, Senate Minority Leader, and staffer for Scott McInnis make him just as qualified as anyone the Democrats could put forward for the seat.

John Suthers considered running for Wayne Allard's seat this year. He is very likely to consider running again now that the field is wide open.

Mark Hillman narrowly lost a statewide race in 2006. He has statewide name ID from that race and from his long record as a state legislator. Hillman would be running in a more favorable environment for Republicans than 2006 and could escape the circular firing squad that the CD-4 primary is likely to be.

Bob Beauprez and Tom Tancredo have both floated their names in the Governor's race. As Congressmen, a Senate contest would make more sense for them. It's hard to see Beauprez gaining traction in a statewide campaign though, and Tancredo's high negatives make winning a Senate race just as impossible as winning against Ritter.

Former Gov. Bill Owens, who has been seemingly disinterested in running against Ken Salazar, may reconsider joining the 2010 race now that the seat is open.

Two-time CD-5 candidate Bentley Rayburn is likely to make noise about running for Senate, just as he inexplicably did last time.

The fields for the Governor and Senate races are going to take shape quickly over the coming months. This is a positive devlopment for Colorado Republicans not only because Salazar's seat is even more vulnerable, but also because some of the deadlock in the Governor's race will be alleviated.

So I know it is no doubt that I support Jeff Crank for Congress. I really could care less about Bentley Rayburn but today I was at the campaign headquarters and stepped outside for a cigarette. To my absolute disbeleif I look over and some of Bently's people, including his campaign manager Mike Hess, decided to put up signs on our campaign office space property. What a waste of time. This simply shows that the Rayburn has no chance because if they where smart thay would contact voters. The best they can do is put up signs nad maybe a honk and wave. Please do not condone Bentley's classless behavior with your vote. Please vote Jeff Crank for congress.

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right-)

Today El Paso County  Sheriff Terry Maketa Endorsed Jeff Crank for Colorado's 5th Congressional district. Here is a letter to the constituents of the 5th, from the Sheriff.

Dear Citizens of the 5^th Congressional District, 

I am pleased today to endorse Jeff Crank for Congress.    I endorse Jeff because I believe he is committed to bringing meaningful conservative change to Washington, and continues to provide specific ideas on the campaign trail.  I believe Jeff would represent the district well, re-unite the Republican Party, and be the most responsive candidate to the needs of our community and its constituents.  I am proud to join a list of fine law enforcement professionals who have endorsed Jeff Crank. 

I have never been one to recklessly offer my endorsement of candidates in contested elections.  During the last 5^th Congressional election I chose to stay neutral for several reasons; first being we had a few very good candidates and secondly a couple of those candidates were very good friends of mine.  As we enter another highly contested 5^th Congressional election, I am constantly asked whom I will be supporting.  I also believe that we need aggressive leadership in congress and I am becoming increasingly more concerned about the future of our country.  Congress as a whole seems so disconnected with its overall electorate.  Too often, I witness elected officials motivated purely to be someone or have a title, and I prefer to have a representative that is going to do something and put action behind their words.  In the last three years, we have all witnessed, our economy slide, jobs lost to foreign markets, fuel costs explode and goods associated with everyday living consume our discretionary income.  The American dream of home ownership for young couples is slipping out of reach.  I believe it is time for a change.

I have known Jeff Crank for 11 years both personally and professionally.  I can say with out hesitation he will be accessible to his district.  Jeff is the kind of person that will sit down, actively listen to your concerns, then look at the issue and take action!  Jeff has proven he is a common sense person, and will stand behind his promises.  He truly cares about this community and plans to take actions immediately for the future of this district and this Country.  Jeff will take the time to look at all aspects of difficult issues, and will listen to all points of view.  He talks about what he will do with specificity rather than talk about what he will not do!  That is a unique quality in this day and age.  He will not look at which direction the winds are drifting, he will do what is morally and legally right, even if it is unpopular.

I hope, as you cast your vote over the next couple of weeks, you will offer your vote and support to Jeff Crank.  It will be an important vote and one that will begin the process of forming a better Colorado for tomorrow.

Sincerely

Terry Maketa

Sheriff

El Paso County

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right -)

For Myself the choice is clear in regards to Colorado's 5th Congressional Race. The Choice is Jeff Crank. The other two Canidates would be fine conservative voters, but we need more than a voter, we need a Leader and Jeff Crank is that leader. Jeff Crank is the ONLY canidate that has proposed solutions to problems that face the voters of the 5th Congressional district.  Following will be a list of a few not all and links to see Jeff Crank's solutions to the problems. 

1. Earmarks- Crank is the only canidate that has said they will not use earmarks and will oppose any bill that has them included.-  http://www.jeffcrank.com/jeff-crank-to-dc-no-more-earmarks

2. Endless Government Programs- Crank said that no program should last forever, again the only canidate to say this.- http://www.jeffcrank.com/jeff-crank-calls-for-sunset-of-government-programs

3. Taxes- We all know they are too high and to confusing and Crank will fight to lower our burden- http://www.jeffcrank.com/jeff-crank-get-rid-of-tax-code

These are just three examples from a huge list. To find more Solutions, instead of empty rhetoric go to www.jeffcrank.com to learn more.

And don't forget to Vote fro Jeff Crank in the Aug. 12th Primary!

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right -)

Alan Philp, Jeff Crank campaign manager, issued the following statement today regarding a new attack ad airing from Doug Lamborn:

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – “Here he goes again.  Two years ago, Doug Lamborn and his allies employed false allegations against Jeff Crank in order to win election.  Today, Lamborn has released new ads that contain wholly false statements and accusations in a desperate attempt to rescue his collapsing campaign.

“If Doug Lamborn is going to level attacks against Jeff Crank – particularly baseless attacks such as these – he should at least have the decency to ‘man-up’ and face Jeff Crank in a debate.

“Here is the truth about Doug Lamborn on taxes and spending.  Doug Lamborn supported several tax hikes as a candidate for Kansas Legislature.¹  Doug Lamborn supports and exploits pork-barrel spending programs, known as ‘earmarks’.

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right -)

Here's Bentley Rayburn in his own words on the outcome of a three-way primary in CD-5:

It's probably too late to get Rayburn to actually follow through on his word and drop out (as he implied in this video and as he stated in a written agreement that he backed out of based on lies), but as it stands now it looks like Rayburn probably is going to be the man who gets Lamborn reelected. If we're stuck with Lamborn, as least the truth about Bentley Rayburn's lies can come out so we know enough not to even consider him for any office he might try running for in the future in this state.

Rocky Mountain Right has obtained more information pertaining to the joint CD5 poll that was to determine whether Bentley Rayburn or Jeff Crank were to continue their campaigns for congress.

Despite the stipulation that polling commence on May 27th, Rayburn's campaign delayed signing the agreement until May 28th as can plainly be seen on the document which has now been made public. Polling started the next day (May 29th) and concluded on May 30th with 395 interviews conducted (some interviews in the May 30th column may have been later). The Rayburn campaign has contended that the CD5 Assembly gave Jeff Crank a "bump" in the polling that would have boosted Crank's numbers. Unfortunately for them, the day-by-day breakdown of the poll shows Jeff Crank's poll numbers unchanged from May 29th to May 30th indicating that no "bump" took place:

In fact, the small number of interviews conducted on May 31 and beyond that the Rayburn campaign is using as the main rationale to back out of the agreement actually favored Rayburn more than the bulk of interviews which were conducted the first two days.

The poll also conducted head-to-head matches against Lamborn which showed that Crank would outperform Rayburn by a whopping 22-points. Rayburn's campaign is instead choosing to ignore these results and point to a questionable internal poll they conducted nearly two months ago showing Rayburn performing marginally better.

The agreement both campaigns signed is now public and the results of the poll are conclusive: Jeff Crank was the victor of the poll and should be the only other candidate in the race alongside Rayburn. If Rayburn's campaign was foolish enough to believe they would have made a stronger showing, then that is their fault alone and not an excuse to back out of a promise to the voters of Colorado. Attempting to delay the start of polling and then distort the results to the public by claiming Crank enjoyed a "bump" is exactly the sort of unethical politics that are the problem in Congress.

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right -)

"I've never supported a single tax increase, and won't do so in Congress." That was Doug Lamborn in 2006 as he sought to fill the Congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Joel Hefley.  The problem with that statement is that it is completely false.  From the Colorado Springs Gazette:

Lamborn sought a seat in the Kansas Legislature in 1982, he supported a severance tax, and alcohol, cigarette and motor vehicle taxes. The Lawrence Journal-World quoted him saying, "We're going to need to take a look at slightly raising existing taxes as well as cultivating newer, less established taxes."

Looks like you are a liar Lamborn.  In fact, that's a good name - Liar Lamborn.  Of course he fired back with a written statement - he's too scared to talk to a reporter right now.

"It remains true that I have never voted for, or supported a tax increase in my 13 1/2 years in public office."

Maybe that's true Dougy, but that's not what you said on your campaign materials.  Therefore, you were purposefully lying.  That's wrong and you know it. 

So here's a campaign song for Liar Lamborn.  Enjoy!

Jeff Crank and Bentley Rayburn recently signed a written agreement to conduct a joint poll of the CD5 primary, whoever was more than 4 points behind would drop out of the race to allow the stronger candidate a one-on-one contest against Doug Lamborn. The raw results of that poll have now been released:

    46% Lamborn
    26% Crank
    15% Rayburn

When weighted according to the formula specified in the written agreement signed by both parties (and viewable at PolitickerCO), Crank's over Rayburn lead increases to 17 points (for those keeping track, that's more than 4).

The Rayburn campaign's main complaints are that because a portion of the poll was conducted after the CD5 assembly and because extra calls were made that the poll is inaccurate and biased towards Crank. This morning's Colorado Statesman pokes holes in that claim:

    Mike Hesse, Rayburn’s campaign manager, objected to the changes in polling dates because voters may have been influenced by Crank’s media “bump” after the 5th Congressional District Assembly on May 29.

    Crank’s “bump,” however, was countered by the May 28 television and newspaper coverage of Rayburn and Lamborn turning in their petitions to get on the primary ballot.

    “It’s an inexperienced candidate who will give that argument of media attention,” said Hill, adding that it had no impact on the polling results. “These protestations are almost an absurdity.”

    “There were businessmen in this community who spent six weeks of their time trying to negotiate this agreement,” recalled Crank, adding that “no one questioned the validity of the poll except for Bentley Rayburn’s campaign.”

The poll is statistically valid, whether Rayburn's people want to admit it or not. There is no possibility of Rayburn winning a two-man race and surely not a three-man race. Finally, there is the small detail that Bentley Rayburn signed a piece of paper saying he would withdraw from the race if he was found to be more than 4 points behind Crank and later changed his mind. Rayburn was even approached by other polling outfits who have offered to conduct pro bono polls to put this issue to rest, Rayburn has indicated this is not an acceptable arrangement.

Had the polling in fact showed that Crank received some sort of massive boost from the CD5 assembly that pulled him outside of the margin-of-error then Rayburn would have been correct to question the results. However, it is now clear that Rayburn's lag in the polls in persistent and that his campaign may have delayed the commencement of polling until the last possible minute in an attempt to start exactly this sort of controversy.

Rocky Mountain Right believes that Bentley Rayburn is a man of his word, and therefore will no longer consider him a candidate for office at this time.

Fundraising totals for Q1 2008 are starting to trickle in from candidates around the state. Here are the announced totals for Colorado's Fifth Congressional District so far:

Jeff Crank:  $84,403
Doug Lamborn:  $76,319
Bentley Rayburn:  $54,150

This post will be updated as soon as Rep. Doug Lamborn releases his numbers.

Update (4/15/08 - 10:23PM): Doug Lamborn is reporting $76,319 raised in the first quarter of 2008. This places Jeff Crank at the head of the field.

Bentley Rayburn and Mike Coffman Campaigns Start Petition Drives

The campaigns of Bentley Rayburn in CD-5 and Mike Coffman in CD-6 both initiated petition drives this week to gain access to the August primary ballot. Mike Coffman's campaign is providing an online volunteer form for those interested in signing or circulating ballot petitions.

Sen. Tom Wiens Retires, Eyes 2010 Gubernatorial Campaign

State Senator Tom Wiens surprised everyone this week when he announced he would not be seeking re-election to his safe Republican seat. Wiens has long been rumored to be eyeing a run for the 2010 Republican nomination for Governor and this move is seen by many to be confirmation of his intentions.

Colorado Federation of College Republicans Elect New Chair

Over the weekend, the Colorado Federation of College Republicans elected Erica Castelo of the University of Denver as their new chair. The College Republicans will play a major role in providing volunteer support in this election year to the McCain and Schaffer campaigns as well as local candidates.

(- promoted by Rocky Mountain Right -)

Former longtime Colorado Springs mayor Bob Isaac announced today that he is endorsing Bentley Rayburn in Colorado’s Fifth Congressional District race.  Mayor Isaac is the first popularly elected mayor of Colorado Springs; first elected in April of 1979 and reelected to five consecutive terms.

“I believe this is a critical time for our country and Bentley Rayburn will provide our community the leadership it desperately needs.  His ability to bring people together to solve problems will benefit our community for many years,” Isaac said.