Well this is a shame:
http://blogs.denverpost.com/...
WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Coffman said Wednesday he wasn’t planning to challenge Sen. Mark Udall for his seat in 2014.
National Republicans are searching for a viable candidate to run against Udall. Possible names include Rep. Cory Gardner of Yuma and former congressman Bob Beauprez. Coffman was thought to be a distinct possibility because he has won statewide before as Colorado’s Secretary of State. He served that spot from 2007 to 2009.
Coffman, R-Aurora, said Wednesday he plans to run for his seat again in the newly competitive 6th Congressional District and stay away from the Udall race. - Denver Post, 1/23/13
Coffman made national news last year when he doubted President Obama's citizenship at a Republican fundraiser:
http://www.salon.com/...
“I don’t know whether Barack Obama was born in the United States of America. I don’t know that. But I do know this, that in his heart, he’s not an American. He’s just not an American.” - Salon, 5/17/12
It's a shame Udall won't have the opportunity to take out this birther clown. Democrats came close knocking out Coffman in Colorado's 6th district. But it's probably a good idea that Coffman sit that race out because Coffman is trying to live up to his predecessor's anti-immigration legacy:
Following the larger Republican strategy of racial fear-mongering, he’s spent the last year following in the footsteps of his anti-immigrant predecessor, U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, championing legislation to repeal parts of the Voting Rights Act and prevent non-English ballots and end birthright citizenship for immigrants. - Salon, 5/17/12
In a state like Colorado that has a large and thriving Latino population, Coffman's remarks would've sparked outrage among Colorado's Latino electorate helping Udall coast to victory. But don't feel down just yet about Coffman passing on a Senate run. Democrats might be getting our dream candidate to finally defeat Coffman:
http://www.politico.com/...
Former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, who helped lead a Democratic resurgence in the state before mounting an unsuccessful 2010 Senate campaign, is considering a run for Congress in 2014.
Romanoff told POLITICO that he may challenge GOP Rep. Mike Coffman in the upcoming midterm elections. Coffman’s district grew more competitive after the last round of redistricting, and the Republican won reelection with less than 49 percent of the vote in 2012.
Romanoff said he wasn’t diving into the race just yet, but the 46-year-old ex-legislator is eager to get back into government. - Politico, 1/15/13
One name who keeps being mentioned as a possible Udall challenger is Congressman Cory Gardner (R. CO-4) who recently discovered that his party is filled with assholes:
http://blogs.denverpost.com/...
WASHINGTON — Rep. Cory Gardner pushed back at U.S. House of Representatives GOP leadership Tuesday after an amendment that would have allowed Colorado to compete for disaster relief funds for wildfire assistance failed to advance out of committee.
Gardner, a Republican from Yuma who sponsored the amendment, said in a statement that it was “unfortunate” that Colorado communities in need of assistance could not also benefit from federal help.
“Over 600 families lost their homes this summer due to devastating wildfires and now 300,000 people are faced with the prospect of contaminated drinking water as debris from the fires gets washed into our rivers and reservoirs,” Gardner said, in a statement.
The current relief bill will only provide assistance to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Gardner’s amendment would have opened up $125 million of funding to other states in need – like Colorado – and allowed them to compete for a fair share of that money. The House Rules Committee, which is responsible for approving amendments before they head to the floor, would not allow Gardner’s amendment to advance out of committee last night. - Denver Post, 1/15/13
Gardner is being hyped up as the ideal candidate to go against Udall. Gardner did state that he thinks the GOP needs to become a bigger tent party but Gardner has played a big role in the GOP's bat shit crazy, anti-woman, anti-immigration agenda:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
With respect to women, Gardner not only voted to redefine rape, but is a full-on supporter of the personhood amendment, which would ban abortion, even in the cases of rape and incest, as well as common forms of birth control.
In this video, Gardner says: "I have signed the personhood petition. I have taken the petitions to my church, and circulating into my church. And I have a legislative record that backs up my support for life." Personhood initiative leader Kristi Brown (formerly Kristi Burton) called Gardner "one of our main supporters" during the 2008 initiative campaign.
- Huffington Post, 1/14/13
Huffington Post did an incredible job showcasing that Gardner's views towards immigration reform are right in line with Coffman's:
In the Colorado Legislature, even when illegal immigrants were routinely attacked by both parties, he took some of the cruelist positions against illegal immigrants, including a 2006 vote against allowing state funds to be used for undocumented children to receive preventative care, like immunizations.
More recently, in 2010, in his race against Rep. Betsy Markey, Gardner made it clear he opposes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, unless you'd call no path at all reasonable.
Just this past June, he not only bashed Metro State University's plan to reduce tuition for the children of illegal immigrants, he also again condemned the concept of helping any undocumented college student anywhere:
"And, of course, I oppose in-state tuition for illegal immigrants. I think it's the wrong policy. It sets the wrong kind of message to people who are in the country illegally. And I think we've got to work on border security before anything else, and I think Metro State has it backwards." - U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner (R. CO-4) - Huffington Post, 1/14/13
Gardner even makes his anti-immigration views very clear on his own website:
http://gardner.house.gov/...
Our first line of defense against illegal immigration is the border, and it is the federal government’s job to make sure that it is secure. Americans are tired of watching the political establishment lack the will to enforce our nation’s laws when it comes to border security and immigration policy.
The solution to the problem isn’t for the Justice Department to file a taxpayer-funded lawsuit against the Governor of Arizona for responding to a law enforcement crisis. It isn’t giving amnesty to the 12-20 million illegal immigrants in this country, or giving those people benefits that will only encourage more illegal immigration.
The time has come to enforce the rule of law and end illegal immigration. To that end, I will support legislation that ensures employers only hire people who are here legally and that guest workers are here temporarily. The technology exists to accomplish this in a sensible way, and it is time that we implement that technology.
Now Mark Udall, on the other hand, has always been a supporter of both a woman's right to choose and a comprehensive immigration policy like the DREAM Act:
http://www.markudall.senate.gov/...
The most vulnerable among us, including children, often bear the heaviest burden while we search for solutions to our immigration challenges. Currently, children who have been brought to this country illegally by no fault of their own, have no way to normalize their undocumented status in order to attend college or serve in the military – even if they have grown up in the United States, gone to school and demonstrated good character. Legislation called the DREAM Act – which I support – would address this issue by allowing children who plan to pursue higher education or serve in the U.S. military to obtain temporary, conditional immigrant status if they were brought to the United States prior to their 16th birthday, have lived in the United States for at least five years and have maintained good academic and moral standing. After 10 years, these young people could become eligible to get in line for permanent legal status, so long as they successfully complete two years at an American college or university or in the U.S. military and remain in compliance with the law. - U.S. Senator Mark Udall (D. CO)
On top of that, Udall has also proven to be a champion of marriage equality, green energy and civil liberties. You can read my diary about Udall's ongoing fight to protect our civil liberties here:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
What baffles me is that the Colorado GOP would actually want guys like Coffman or Gardner to be their nominees. Sure they rile up the Tea Party base but they also isolate a thriving portion of Colorado's electorate. This is why the modern day GOP needs to rely on gerrymandering, rigging elections and unlimited Super PAC cash because no one with a functioning brain would want to elect clowns like Gardner or Coffman to the U.S. Senate, especially in Colorado. I'm positive that Udall will win in 2014 but Udall isn't taking any chances:
http://atr.rollcall.com/...
Democratic Sen. Mark Udall urged his supporters to rally for his re-election campaign in an email last week.
“It is from my bedrock love for Colorado and its people that I am running for reelection, so that I can continue to use my seat in the U.S. Senate to safeguard these things that I know we all care about,” Udall wrote in the email, according to ColoradoPols.com, a local politics website.
Udall starts off the 2014 cycle in a relatively safe position, especially compared to his many Democratic colleagues seeking re-election in conservative states. CQ Roll Call rates this race as Likely Democratic. - Roll Call, 1/21/13
Udall has $1.1 million in the bank and with his colleague, Senator Michael Bennet (D. CO), serving as Chairman of the DSCC, Udall will certainly have the backing for re-election. But why not help him out for his 2014 Senate campaign:
https://secure.actblue.com/...