The Colorado Capitol Report

 

 

The Colorado Capitol Report Sponsors

 
 

 By

Dan Pilcher

CACI Senior Vice President

& Chief Operating Officer

 

Phone: 303.866-9600

E-Mail: dpilcher@COchamber.com

 

November 5, 2008

 

 

Election 2008:

CACI Bats .870 on Legislative Candidates,

.333 on Three Ballot Measures

 

Across Colorado, vote-counting continues this morning as the avalanche of mail-in ballots appears to have swamped the offices of county clerks.  Nonetheless, here is an update on the ballot measures on which the CACI Board of Directors took a position as well as the legislative races where CACI endorsed and supported candidates.  Vote percentages and margins should not be considered final.

 

 

Amendment 47, the Right-to-Work Proposal, Goes Down to Defeat

 

Colorado voters turned back the initiative, which CACI endorsed, by a 55 percent to 45 percent margin.

 

 

Voters Say “No” to Governor Ritter’s Severance Tax Initiative

 

By a 59 percent to 41 percent margin, voters rejected the Governor’s Amendment 58, which CACI opposed.

 

 

Referendum O, Citizen-Initiative Ballot Measures, Falls Short

 

By a 53 percent to 47 percent margin, voters turned down Referendum O, which the legislature put on the ballot to make it more difficult to qualify constitutional amendments and easier to qualify statutory initiatives.  CACI supported the proposal.

 

 

Highlights of the Legislative Races

 

Of the 54 candidates endorsed by CACI, 47 appear to have won their elections while seven have lost.  In other words, CACI batted .870.

 

In this election, there are a small number of key legislative races that bear special mention.

 

Representative Bernie Buescher Apparently Narrowly Defeated in Re-Election Bid

 

One of the most closely followed races across Colorado has been in Mesa County (Grand Junction) where incumbent Democratic Representative Bernie Buescher, who was endorsed by CACI, appears to have lost to his Republican challenger, Laura Bradford, by 583 votes out of 36,000 cast for the House District 55.  Buescher chairs the powerful Joint Budget Committee, and many at the State Capitol believed that Buescher, if he were to be re-elected, would be chosen by the House Majority Democratic Caucus to serve as Speaker since current Speaker Andrew Romanoff (D-Denver) is term-limited.

 

Colorado Senate

 

Senate District 8 (which covers many northwestern counties)--Al White, the Republican who was supported by CACI, has beaten Democrat Ken Brenner by a 55.4 percent to 44.6 percent margin.

 

Senate District 19 (Jefferson County)--Republican Libby Szabo, who was endorsed by CACI, trails Democrat Evie Hudak, 49 percent to 51 percent.

 

Senate District 23 (Adams, Broomfield and Weld Counties)--In another closely watched contest, incumbent Senator Shawn Mitchell won re-election in the race against Democratic challenger Joseph Whitcomb by a 54 percent to 46 percent margin.  CACI endorsed Mitchell.

 

Senate District 26 (Arapahoe and Jefferson Counties)--Republican Lauri Clapp, who was endorsed by CACI, appears to have narrowly lost to Democrat Linda Newell by a margin of 49.9 percent to 50.1 percent.  Out of 53,631 votes cast, the margin is only 81 votes, which means a state-mandated recount is likely.

 

Senate District 26 (Adams County)--the CACI-endorsed Democratic candidate, Mary Hodge, has bested Republican John Hadfield 54.2 percent to 45.8 percent.

 

In other Senate races, the following CACI-endorsed incumbents won re-election:

 

  • Betty Boyd (D), SD-21, Larimer County

  • Bill Cadman (R), SD-10, El Paso County

  • Peter Groff (D), SD-33, Adams County and Denver)

  • Nancy Spence (R), SD-27, Arapahoe County

  • Jennifer Veiga (D), SD-31, Adams County and Denver

 

Finally, the following CACI-supported new candidates won Senate seats:

 

  • Joyce Foster (D). SD-35, Arapaho County and Denver

  • Keith King (R), SD-12, El Paso County

  • Mark Scheffel (R), SD-4, Douglas, El Paso, Lake, Teller and Park Counties

 

House of Representatives

 

House District 17 (El Paso County)—CACI-endorsed Republican Catherine “Kit” Roupe lost to the Democrat, Dennis Apuan, 48.7 percent to 51.3 percent.

 

House District 25 (Jefferson County)—Cheri Gerou, the Republican endorsed by CACI, beat Democrat Andrew Scripter by a 59.9 percent to 42.8 percent margin.

 

House District 27 (Jefferson County)--the CACI-endorsed candidate, Republican John Bodnar, lost to Democrat Sara Gagliardi 45.7 percent to 50.3 percent.

 

House District 30 (Adams County)—the CACI-endorsed Republican, Kevin Priola, beat the Democrat, Dave Rose, 52.2 percent to 47.8 percent. 

 

House District 31 (Jefferson County)--Democrat Judy Solano beat Republican Holly Hansen, who was endorsed by CACI, by a 57.4 percent to 42.6 percent margin.

 

House District 40 (Elbert and Arapahoe Counties)—Republican Cynthia Acree, who was supported by CACI, beat Democrat Karen Wilde by a 58.8 percent to 41.2 percent margin.

 

House District 52 (Larimer County)—Republican Bob McCluskey, supported by CACI, lost to Democrat incumbent John Kefalas 40.7 percent to 59.3 percent.

 

In other House races, the following CACI-endorsed incumbents won:

 

  • David Balmer (R), HD-39, Arapahoe County

  • Terrance Carroll (D), HD-7, Denver)

  • Bob Gardner (R), HD-21, El Paso and Fremont Counties

  • Cory Gardner (R), HD-63, Adams, Cheyenne, Crowley, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Morgan, Washington and Yuma Counties

  • Joel Judd (D), HD-5, Denver

  • Andy Kerr (D), HD-26, Jefferson County

  • Jim Kerr (R), HD-28, Jefferson County

  • Steve King (R), HD-54, Mesa County

  • Jeanne Labuda (D), HD-1, Arapahoe and Jefferson Counties and Denver

  • Kent Lambert (R), HD-14, El Paso County

  • Larry Liston (R), HD-16, El Paso County

  • Marsha Looper (R), HD-19, El Paso County

  • Kevin Lundberg (R), HD-49, Larimer and Weld Counties

  • Don Marostica (R), HD-51, Larimer County

  • Tom Massey (R), HD-60, Chaffee, Custer, Fremont, Park, Pueblo and Saguache Counties

  • Mike May (R), HD-44, Douglas County

  • Buffie McFayden (D), HD-47, Fremont and Pueblo Counties

  • Wes McKinley (D), HD-64, Baca, Bent, Huerfano, Las Animas, Otero and Prowers Counties

  • Frank McNulty (R), HD-43, Douglas County

  • Karen Middleton (D), HD-42, Arapahoe County

  • Jack Pommer (D), HD-11, Boulder County

  • Jim Riesberg (D), HD-50, Weld County

  • Ellen Roberts (R), HD-59, Archuleta, La Plata, Montezuma and San Juan Counties

  • Jerry Sonnenberg (R), HD-65   , Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick and Weld Counties

  • Amy Stephens (R), HD-20, El Paso County

  • Ken Summers (R), HD-22, Jefferson County

  • Spencer Swalm (R), HD-37, Arapahoe County

  • Nancy Todd (D), HD-41, Arapahoe County

  • Glenn Vaad (R), HD-48, Weld County

 

Finally, the following new candidates, whom CACI endorsed for House seats, also won:

 

  • Carole Murray (R), HD-45, Douglas and Teller Counties

  • Sue Schafer (D), HD-24, Jefferson County

  • Scott Tipton (R), HD-58, Delta, Dolores, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel Counties

  • Mark Waller (R), HD-15, El Paso County
 

 

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