Gubernatorial candidate Marc Holtzman on Tuesday rejected a request by his opponent, fellow Republican Bob Beauprez, who asked him to drop out of the race if he doesn’t get enough support to automatically make the primary ballot.
In a letter, Beauprez urged Holtzman to accept the “will of the delegates” at Saturday’s GOP convention and not petition onto the Aug. 8 ballot if he fails to collect the required 30 percent of the delegates. The convention, attended by about 3,000 delegates, nominates GOP candidates.
Holtzman dismissed the request and said he plans to continue campaigning until the August primary, regardless of what happens Saturday. He said Beauprez has not participated in “meaningful debates” that would allow voters to clearly understand the two candidates’ positions.
He also criticized Beauprez, a second-term congressman, for being part of the political establishment.
“Our fellow citizens have grown cynical because of the empty commitments by politicians who have promised change, only to go to Washington, D.C., and vote for the same big-spending, bloated-government and special-interest solutions that have failed us in the past,” he wrote Beauprez.
Beauprez asked Holtzman, a former president of the University of Denver, to drop his petition drive to “send a message that we respect and value the time, effort and traditions of our State Party by accepting the will of the delegates.” Beauprez said Holtzman should step aside if he doesn’t get 30 percent of the delegates.
John Marshall, campaign manager for Beauprez, said both candidates have debated a number of times and Holtzman was being “disingenuous in the extreme.”
“It’s disappointing that he doesn’t have more respect for the grass roots of this party than to tell them that they don’t matter and are unnecessary,” Marshall said.
The Tuesday letter skirmish was a possible preview for Saturday’s state convention. Beauprez’s request led some to speculate he is confident Holtzman does not have enough delegate support to make the ballot.
“You can’t help but wonder whether Beauprez’s count suggests he can hold Holtzman under 30 but not under the (minimum),” said John Straayer, a political science professor at Colorado State University.
A candidate must get more than 10 percent of the delegates in order to petition on the ballot. Holtzman isn’t taking any chances. He is launching last-minute, statewide TV ads starting today and continuing through Friday.
Staff writer Karen Crummy can be reached at 303-820-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com.
