After meeting with Republican Scott McInnis this morning, state Josh Penry confirmed he was dropping out the governor’s race but stopped short of endorsing his opponent.
Penry, 33, said it was in the best interests of the state and the GOP to avoid an acrimonious and expensive primary, and that he would leverage the good will from his exodus to help Republican candidates around the state. That, he said, included using the money from his campaign fund in those state races.
Penry met with McInnis for 90 minutes Tuesday morning, to discuss McInnis priorities for leading Colorado, and left without throwing his support behind him.
“There were no deals, no endorsements but we did have some tough conversations about governing,” said Penry, who expects to meet with McInnis again down the road. “If I’m going to ask my supporters to support Scott, I need to know his agenda and priorities in detail.”
Penry said that he intended to announce his decision to leave the race at the end of the week, but news leaked out after his conversation with McInnis Monday morning.
