When Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) announced that he would not seek re-election this year, it was supposed to open up a divisive process whereby both parties would have crowded fields of candidates hoping to replace him. It didn’t work out that way, at least at first.
Among the Dems, everyone cleared the field for Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar. Though he was the third candidate to enter the race, the other two withdrew and endorsed him quickly as the party came together in an unusual (and heartening) display of unity.
The GOP field, once Gov. Bill Owens (R) announced he would not seek the seat, was supposed to approach double-digits. But one by one, everyone took a pass, perhaps intimidated by Salazar’s appeal, except former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R). With no other major candidates, the Colorado Republican establishment rallied behind Schaffer, despite reservations about his statewide appeal.
Reservations, however, soon became panic. A statewide poll was released late last week showing Salazar leading Schaffer statewide 49% to 34%. Schaffer boasted about keeping Salazar below the 50% threshold, but a 15-point deficit made the Dems very happy and the GOP incredibly nervous.
So they went out and found themselves another candidate.
Yesterday, Peter Coors, chairman of the Coors Brewing Co., made the race a lot more interesting by indicating that he will enter the Republican primary. (If you watch a lot of TV, you’ll recognize Coors; he’s the pleasant-looking gray-haired man in the beer commercials who tells young people that he’ll “wait for your business.”)
Bob Schaffer, however, doesn’t appear ready to go away quietly.
The funny part is that the GOP establishment, including the party chair, the governor, elected officials, and others, all told Shaffer that he was their man. Now they’re looking at the wealthy beer magnate with enormous name recognition. Suddenly, not everyone wants to return Schaffer’s phone calls.
In fact, Coors didn’t officially announce he was running; Gov. Owens did. Complicating matters, Owens has already indicated that he’s dropping Schaffer like a hot potato.
On Tuesday, Gov. Bill Owens endorsed Bob Schaffer, a former three-term congressman. But the next morning, Owens told reporters Coors was running for Senate.
After hearing about the announcement, Schaffer said he believed the governor would stick to his endorsement. “The governor’s been known to keep his word,” Schaffer said.
A few hours later, however, an Owens aide said the governor would back Coors instead.
Oops.
It’s still not clear how all of this will play out. Owens is prepared to jump ship and abandon the candidate he just endorsed, but the rest of the Colorado GOP isn’t so sure.
Owens’ announcement earlier in the day that Coors was running for Senate upstaged Schaffer, the candidate the governor had just endorsed, who was holding a sparsely attended “unity rally” on the west steps of the Capitol. Neither Owens nor Benson attended.
Colorado U.S. Reps. Tom Tancredo and Marilyn Musgrave were there, as were most Republican state legislators, including leaders of both houses and Treasurer Mike Coffman.
Those present said the possibility of a Coors candidacy and a GOP primary would make no difference to them.
“The average Republican primary voter is going to connect with Bob Schaffer because of his background and his record,” said Coffman. “They understand that the Republican nomination is not for sale to the highest bidder.”
Tancredo said Coors’ entering the race “was not the best news I could have gotten today.”
“How this will play out I don’t know,” he said.
Tancredo said that while he respects Coors, he knows Schaffer and where he stands on every issue. “I’m willing to go with a known quantity,” Tancredo said.
This should be fun to watch.