U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard is expected to endorse fellow Republican and gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez today, sources close to the campaign said.
The public show of support comes a week before Colorado’s precinct caucuses – the first step in a long process of winning the party’s nomination.
It also is out of character for the state’s senior senator, who rarely inserts himself into primary battles. U.S. Rep. Beauprez is running against Marc Holtzman, former president of the University of Denver, for the Republican spot on the November ballot.
John Marshall, spokesman for the Beauprez campaign, said: “Come out Monday (today) and see what happens.”
Allard, recently rated as one of the three “most conservative” members of the Senate by National Journal, is expected to encourage precinct-caucus attendees to vote for Beauprez, as well as send out letters to convention delegates and make phone calls to GOP activists touting Beauprez as the better candidate.
Along with sending out fundraising letters on behalf of the two-term congressman, Allard is expected to hold a fundraiser for him, sources close to the campaign said.
The public backing by Allard comes after a slew of Republican heavy hitters, including Gov. Bill Owens, have come out in support of Beauprez.
Holtzman has criticized Beauprez and the state party as being out of touch with Republican voters, which is one of the reasons he says he is running on an anti-establishment platform.
Allard endorsed GOP Senate contender Bob Schaffer in 2004 before Pete Coors jumped in the race. However, Allard was not very visible during the months leading up to the primary.
The announcement is scheduled for 9 a.m. today at the state Capitol.
Staff writer Karen Crummy can be reached at 303-820-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com.
