Salazar will debate

[Freddie Stubbs]

Miles' upset victory spurs tactical shift

By Jim Tankersley, Rocky Mountain News
May 24, 2004

Mike Miles' surprise win at the Democratic state convention over the weekend paid off quickly: Ken Salazar, his heavily favored opponent for the party's U.S. Senate nomination, finally agreed on Sunday to debate him.

Whether the win will help Miles in the Aug. 10 primary election is a debate in itself.

Miles, a school administrator from Fountain running on a liberal platform, topped Salazar by 100 votes among delegates at the state party convention in Pueblo on Saturday. The victory gives the first-time candidate top billing on the primary ballot.

It was a big upset. Salazar is Colorado's attorney general, and many party officials believe his rural background and centrist positions give state Democrats their best chance in a decade to win a Senate seat.

more: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/election/article/0,1299,DRMN_36_2909354,00.html

[CO Liberal]

1. This Will Be Interesting

Both of them would make good Senators, IMHO.

[politicat]

3. Yes, and I'll be glad to have them both, but....

I really wanted Salazar to stay in the AG office and run for Governor.

I think he can beat anything the Repukes put up in 2006.

I hope that whoever gets the Senate nod isn't out of energy and money and good will by that point, and will go for Gov.

Colorado was a very progressive, populist state for the most of our history -this repug business is new... Thanks, California.

Cheers,
Pcat

[mgarretson]

2. first name on the ballot?

Hey All You Folks From Colorado,
Can someone explain the elections process in your state? You have a vote for candidates at a state convention and then vote again in a primary? Is there any significance to being the first name on the ballot?

The process just seems strange to me... I'm all about Miles though... :)

[politicat]

4. In a nut shell....

At the convention, a candidate must make 15% to make threshold, and that gets them on the Primary ballot. Then the primary is winner take all.

There's a lot of democracy in the CO dem party.... we vote a LOT!

Pcat (and rarely need recounts, even though we're doing everything with paper ballots, and no punch cards. How hard is it to circle a name?)

[Crunchy Frog]

6. Actually, I think

a candidate has to get at least 30% at the convention to get onto the Primary ballot. You can also get on by petition but I imagine that's pretty difficult.

[CO Liberal]

8. I Believe You're Right

A candidate has to get 30% of the delegate vote to get on the primary ballot.

If they get at least 10% (but less than 30%), they can petition themselves onto the ballot.

Less than 10%, their campaign is over....

[CO Liberal]

5. The Order Doesn't Mean Much

The last time the State Convention was held in Pueblo, Gene Nichols got more delegate votes than Tom Strickland, and got the top line on the primary ballot. Tom went on to win the primary, and lost the general election to Wayne Dullard.

[El Supremo]

10. The main problem...

with our Democratic caucuses and assembly/conventions is that the turnout is low. It was better this year than in at least the last ten, but there were many delegate seats that were left unfilled. And many delegates who said they would, didn't show up to the state convention in Pueblo. It appears that most of the no-shows were Salazar delegates who must have thought that he would be a runaway winner. But Miles inspired his people to attend.

I could have been a delegate to Pueblo, but declined at the Arapahoe county convention. We had at least 100 spots unfilled.

I does look like one candidate (Johnson) was eliminated.

Democrats have been beaten up so badly in recent years that I'm not surprised by the apathy.

[Crunchy Frog]

7. At least now,

they can no longer treat Miles as if he doesn't even exist, which they pretty much had been doing before. Only a few weeks ago, people were crowing about how we had an uncontested Primary.

Even if ultimately Miles has no chance against Salazar, at least the competition will improve Salazar as a candidate, and he will have a chance to hone his debating skills.

[CO Liberal]

9. Either One Of Them Would Be Far Better....

...than Peter Coors, Bob Schaffer, or Ben Nightmare Campbell.

[Kanary]

11. Either one? Really? Many of us are AGAINST the war!

Given that Salazar was FOR the war, he isn't really representative of Dems statewide.

Let him run for Governor... he would be good in that position, and couldn't vote for a war. :)

Kanary

[Robb]

12. Now now,

I asked the man about this. The only place you can find a suggestion about Salazar being "for the war" are on Miles' supporters' websites. The state AG doesn't vote for wars, and he's never made a statement of any kind about it until recently -- when he said as a Senator he'd work to internationalize the forces already there and bring greater focus to diplomacy.

[CO Liberal]

13. I Want A Senator....

...who will weigh the options and draw a logical conclusion, voting in a manner that's best for the people of Colorado. Not an automaton like Ben Nightmare Campbell who simply does what his GOP masters tell him to do.

[Kanary]

14. You've described Mike Miles quite well in your first sentence.

[CO Liberal]

15. I Believe I Described Ken Salazar As Well

:kick: