This just in: Old favorites, up-and-comers and total randoms vie for Secretary of State post
Political reporting can be a little dry sometimes, but this is the kind of story we live for. Twenty Coloradans from all walks of life have submitted applications to become Colorado's next Secretary of State.
Face The State managing editor Brad Jones visits with Newstalk 1310 KFKA's Amy Oliver. Up for discussion: The Denver Post gives Face The State a shout-out in its Sunday edition, Gov. Bill Ritter plays Santa Claus and gives state employees an extra day off, and Rep. Bernie Buescher finds himself looking for a new job.
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter had a rough election day. With a key legislative ally losing his re-election bid and his energy tax increase proposal overwhelmingly rejected by voters, is Ritter becoming politically toxic?
Just two days after the general election, Colorado's lawmakers gather to elect leaders for the coming session of the General Assembly. With the unexpected defeat of Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, House Democrats scrambled to choose a new Speaker as he was widely favored for the position. Face The State's Rachel Boxer was on hand for the parties' caucus meetings this week. More >
"I'm not entirely displeased to see that Republican Laura Bradford beat incumbent Bernie Buescher in the Grand Junction state house race. Back in 2005, my dad and I blasted Buescher for supporting higher net taxes and for earning a zero rating from the Colorado Union of Taxpayers.
Still, Bradford barely pulled off a surprise upset in a county that went 63 percent for McCain.
In this race, as in races across Colorado and the nation, voters were faced with a choice of two evils: political force in our private lives versus political force in our economic lives.
"Bill Ritter: "I don't know why Bernie Buescher lost but it sure as hell couldn't have been because of me!"
The Denver Post:
Ritter also dismissed the notion that the apparent loss by Grand Junction state Rep. Bernie Buescher, who was the heir apparent to speaker of the house, was a referendum on Ritter.
"She may feel it as a referendum on me," Ritter said of Buescher's opponent, Republican Laura Bradford. "But I don't think that is fair or accurate. There were a lot of things going on in Mesa County."
Ritter praised Buescher as "just a fantastic human being."
Republicans looking for a silver lining to Tuesday's election should take a look west, to Grand Junction. More >
By Andrew Ripemoff
As we lick our wounds today, we libertarian-minded conservatives recognize the overwhelming global celebration of joy accompanying the election of Barack Obama. And whether we want to admit it or not, it was a truly historic landslide. From young to old, black to white, it seems EVERYONE went into that voting booth unified and ready to anoint the Chosen One.
While Democrats had much to celebrate Tuesday night, their top state leader, Gov. Bill Ritter, saw a pet ballot measure fail and a key House ally fall in a western slope upset.
Assistant state House Minority Leader David Balmer stops in to talk about state legislative races, and FTS's Joe Megyesy checks in from the Democrat party headquarters in Denver. More >
