More than 13,000 Coloradans are petitioning U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar to vote their way on chief-justice nominee John Roberts, who faces a key Senate committee vote today.
Activists for and against Roberts said Wednesday that they were delivering petitions to the Colorado Democrat’s offices.
NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado said it sent about 8,000 signatures Wednesday to Salazar urging him to oppose confirmation. The abortion-rights group believes Roberts is a threat to its cause, leaders said at a state Capitol news conference in Denver.
The Colorado Republican Party says it has collected more than 5,000 signatures backing Roberts and plans to send them next week to Salazar and Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., who supports the nominee.
Allard gave a Senate-floor speech Wednesday in Washington urging colleagues to vote for confirmation. “Judge Roberts’ sharp intellect and legal ability are beyond question,” he said.
Salazar said Wednesday that he had not decided how he’ll vote. He has asked the White House for more records on Roberts’ Justice Department work.
“I appreciate the opinions and concerns given to me by many organizations and citizens throughout the state of Colorado,” Salazar said.
The Judiciary Committee is expected to vote today to send Roberts’ nomination to the full Senate for final action, possibly next week. Neither Salazar nor Allard sits on the panel, but each would vote on Roberts’ nomination in the full Senate.
In a telephone conference call Wednesday, Bob Shaffer, a former state and U.S. representative now on the Republican National Committee, said he hoped citizens would “call Sen. Salazar first and Sen. Allard also as this moves closer to the floor.
“Colorado’s voice is being heard from the grassroots level clearly and loudly,” Shaffer said. “It is our hope at this time that our senators are listening and will vote accordingly.”
He said that NARAL’s more successful signature drive should not be considered representative of opinion across the state. “The weight of 5,020 (signatures is) going to be far greater than those of a specific and isolated” issue group, he said.
But NARAL’s interim state director, Meg Froelich, said that a majority of Colorado voters are in favor of abortion rights.
In a clear attempt to get Salazar’s attention, Froelich put a young woman from his San Luis Valley home turf front and center at her news conference.
“As a young woman, this nomination is a decision that will affect me and women like me for the rest of our lives,” said Melinda Gonzales, 25, who grew up in Alamosa and works at a family- planning clinic in Boulder.
Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., has no say on the issue. But he urged Senate Democrats on Wednesday to back confirmation.
Staff writer Jim Hughes can be reached at 303-820-1244 or jhughes@denverpost.com.
