The legacy of Republican Gov. Bill Owens’ last term teeters on the outcome of Tuesday’s vote to relax the state’s strict revenue limits, political observers said before the vote tallies were in.
Owens was one of the leading supporters of Referendums C and D and put all of his political clout behind the measures. Insiders and observers on both sides agree Owens had much riding on the outcome.
“Owens’ career hangs in the balance. If C and D loses, Owens is pretty much gone. If it wins, he will be seen as a more moderate Republican,” said Michael Kanner, a political science instructor at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
A fiscal conservative, Owens helped craft the legislation that eventually became Referendums C and D. That support drew the ire of local and national anti-tax activists. If the measures pass, they have predicted political exile for Owens, who is prohibited by term limits from seeking a third term in 2006.
But others are quick to point out that Owens has overcome such predictions before. Bucking the right wing of the Republican Party isn’t necessarily a negative in a state with a fiercely independent electorate.
“I think people in the main – whether they vote yes or no – look at him and say, ‘You know what, this guy had the (guts) to go out and do what he personally thought was exactly the right thing and the consequences, personally, be damned.’ And I think people really respect that,” said Sean Duffy, the governor’s former deputy chief of
A failure Tuesday, others said, could be a political death knell to the governor.
In his second term, he oversaw the state legislature’s return to Democratic hands for the first time in four decades, lost a major water-storage ballot referendum and watched as his U.S. Senate candidate, Pete Coors, lost his bid for a Republican-controlled seat.
“He may be be done anyway, but he’s absolutely done if it fails,” said Democratic consultant Steve Welchert. “It’s a hugely failed policy decision on his part and the Republican Party will have been largely to blame for the loss, and he hasn’t been a popular enough governor to carry his own party in what has essentially the biggest issue in decades.” If the measures fail, Owens will be “the lamest of ducks,” Welchert said.
But others don’t agree. John Straayer, a political science professor at Colorado State University, said the governor wins either way. “If it passes, he’ll get credit for having been influential in its passage,” he said. “If it fails, he’ll go down having fought the good fight.”
Straayer and others said his support could help Owens energize the moderate element of the Republican party.
There is no such thing, said national anti-tax activist Grover Norquist. “There is no moderate Republican who wants higher taxes and spending. This does not exist in the world,” he said.
If the measures pass, Norquist said, Owens is finished politically. If they fail, he has a shot at redemption if he reduces spending.
“He could become the reluctant hero of spending restraint nationally and regain a national reputation,” Norquist said.
But Sean Tonner, a former campaign manager for Owens, said his friend came under similar criticism when Owens supported a 2000 initiative requiring background checks at gun shows. He went on, Tonner said, to win a second term by the largest vote margin in state history.
Staff writer Mark P. Couch contributed to this report.
Staff writer Chris Frates can be reached at 303-820-1633 or cfrates@denverpost.com.
