With Democratic Congressman Mark Udall all but officially declaring his intentions last week to run for U.S. Senate, Republicans are still waiting on a candidate.
Any candidate.
For now, all eyes are on former Rep. Bob Schaffer, who ran for the party’s nomination in 2004 but lost to Pete Coors.
Schaffer, who couldn’t be reached for comment, is exploring a bid, including at least one trip to Washington, D.C., and has been trying to gauge whether there’s enough financial and organization support to run.
Raising money was difficult when he ran against Coors, and some worry that each day that goes by without a decision sets him further back. To be considered a serious candidate, it’s thought he’d need to raise a half- million by the June 30 filing deadline. To avoid a low number, Schaffer could wait until after July 1 to announce but will have missed out on more than two months of fundraising.
Udall announced last week that he had raised $324,000 in the first quarter of the year and ended March with $1.5 million. His first- quarter numbers were called disappointing by The Washington Post blog The Fix, since Udall announced his intentions a few years ago.
“If Udall had posted $600,000 or more raised (and nearly $2 million in the bank), it might have kept a candidate like … Schaffer out of the race entirely,” The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza wrote.
If Schaffer doesn’t run, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Bentley Rayburn could run. He finished a surprising third in last year’s 5th Congressional District primary. Republicans also are pushing Attorney General John Suthers and former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton to consider it.
Gill, Stryker make top 10
It will come as no surprise to Republicans, especially those who lost last year, that two of the country’s biggest individual donors to 527 committees in 2006 were Coloradans (and Democrats) Tim Gill and Patricia Stryker. The committees are private groups that operate independently of candidates to raise and spend “soft” money.
Gill, founder of Quark, ranked No. 8 in the country after doling out nearly $1.3 million to 527s, while Stryker, an heiress to a medical supply fortune, was No. 10, giving $1.25 million, according to information compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. In 2004, neither was in the top 25.
When foundations are considered, Stryker’s total rises to $2.67 million, while Gill’s is $2.44 million overall.
mmigration still hot
Illegal immigration was a red- hot issue one year ago, with massive rallies around the country, including one that drew 70,000 to the streets of Denver. (Another is planned for May 1 this year.)
But this year, most of the politicking has moved inside statehouses. Lawmakers in all 50 states are considering about three times the number of immigration-related bills now as they did last year, according to a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures.
At least 1,169 pieces of legislation designed to address immigration or immigrant-related issues have been introduced. Colorado lawmakers did most of their work on the issue in a special session last summer.
Old Glory tributes
Republican Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave is co-sponsoring a bill with Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan that would allow governors to lower the U.S. flag to half-staff to honor soldiers killed serving their country. Now, governors can lower only their state flags to half-staff.
The education highway
Gov. Bill Owens vetoed a bill last year that would have set up a P-16 council to study whether Colorado’s education systems, from preschool to college, are properly aligned. Gov. Bill Ritter will do the exact opposite Tuesday, announcing the creation of the Colorado P-20 Education Council, which will study the alignment of educational programs from preschool to grad school.
Dan Haley (dhaley@denverpost.com) is a member of The Post’s editorial board. Read the Haley’s Comment blog at denverpostbloghouse.com/haley
