NOREEN: Please, Tancredo, don't endorse me!
Colorado’s primary election season began a bit earlier this year because the election was moved up from its traditional August date to June 26.
This means candidates must come out of the woodwork sooner so they can raise money, build an organization and collect endorsements. When you’re a challenging an incumbent or you’re simply a neophyte in an intra-party brawl, endorsements are hard to come by and one must take what one can get.
This week Republicans Matt Arnold and Marsha Looper trumpeted the fact that failed presidential candidate, failed gubernatorial candidate and former Colo. Congressman Tom Tancredo has endorsed their campaigns. Arnold is campaigning to be elected to the at-large seat on the University of Colorado Board of Regents and Looper is taking on the big job of challenging House Majority Leader Amy Stephens, R-Monument.
Arnold has been spearheading the “Clear the Bench” effort, aimed at sweeping many of Colorado’s judges out the door. But he has no experience in the daunting task of running a statewide race.
After reapportionment Looper found herself in Stephens’ district. Looper has joined the chorus of Republicans unhappy with Stephens’ so-called “AmyCare” bill, which has been linked to ObamaCare.
To win a GOP primary one must get to the right of one’s opponent. No one stands to the right of Tancredo, the political bomb-thrower who once advocated leveling Mecca in response to Muslim extremists and who also called for President Obama’s impeachment.
In his campaign kickoff announcement, Arnold quoted Tancredo: “For years we have been electing Republicans to the CU Board of Regents but far too few of them have been willing to advance conservative principles in the halls of academe. Arnold ... recognizes the need to wrest control of our education system from radical leftists who have dominated it for decades.”
This is going to come as a shock to “radical lefties” such as CU President Bruce Benson, one of the leading Republicans in the state, and to Kyle Hybl, of Colorado Springs, a Republican who is the chairman of the Board of Regents and who is helping push the merger of the University of Colorado Hospital with city-owned Memorial Hospital.
Note to Arnold: Think twice about opposing the merger. That would hurt you in El Paso County.
Note to Looper: You’ve done nice work for your constituents, but Stephens will have a who’s who list for endorsements and you’re going to have to do a little better than Tancredo.
Tom Tancredo’s endorsement? It’s like your new heavy metal record getting a glowing review from Focus on the Family.
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Listen to Barry Noreen on KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM and 1240 AM at 6:35 a.m. on Fridays. Look for blog updates at gazette.comblogs barrysblog and his videos at gazette.com
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