Post-Session Manuevering Already in Full Swing

[coloradodem2005]

The 2005 legislative session isn't even a week old, but the maneuvering for 2006 is in full swing.

After finishing the session with virtually nothing to pound their chests about, Republicans are busy recruiting candidates in an effort to win back the majority. The elephants are apparently looking for more moderate pachyderms to challenge the Democrats; as one Republican operative put it, "this year we aren't going to run a bunch of menopausal Jesus freaks." Whatever that means.

On the Democratic side, however, there are thus far no serious challengers to any incumbent Republicans, perhaps because those in the donkey leadership are busy frying other fish at the moment (Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald is considering a run for governor and Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff is obsessively focused on passing the TABOR reforms in November). Even the Republican seats opening up due to term limits aren't being readily investigated by Democratic candidates...not yet, anyway.


Democratic State Representative Mike Merrifield is taking a serious look at running for Republican Ed Jones' State Senate seat but hasn't made up his mind. The former music teacher would cede the nomination to former U.S. Senate candidate Mike Miles if he were interested in the race, but thus far Miles is not being seriously recruited by anyone.

Elsewhere, Democratic State Representative Val Vigil is telling colleagues that he will challenge State Senator Lois Tochtrop in the 2006 Democratic Primary. State Representative Bernie Buescher has apparently decided to run for re-election rather than take a shot at a State Senate seat. And State Representative Angie Pacchione says that she will poll to see if she has a chance to beat Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave in CD-4 before deciding whether to jump in the race, leading some Democrats to conclude that it might not be a race that she really has her heart set on entering.


http://coloradopoliticalnews.blogs.com/colorado_political_news/2005/05/postsession_man.html#more

[eleny]

1. "menopausal Jesus freaks"

Oh, that will get the soccer mom vote. Keep at it!