Gaming a state Senate vacancy

Who are they trying to kid? That was my first reaction when I read the Rocky's story today about the Republican vacancy race to succeed Sen. Steve Johnson in Larimer County as the six-year incumbent moves over to become a county commissioner at year-end.

Rep. Kevin Lundberg of Berthoud is heir apparent to the seat, which he came within a whisker of winning from Stan Matsunaka ten years ago. Lundberg has stood tall as a Reagan conservative in the House since 2002, and he would be an outstanding Palin conservative in the Senate -- exactly the kind of principled voice a battered GOP needs right now.

But rivals to Kevin's left are trying to read him out of contention before the vote-counting has barely begun among the 160-member party vacancy committee that will make its choice next month. Since their motives and credentials are not examined in the article today, allow me.

The least credible testimony in Ed Sealover's piece is that of Matsunaka, whom I succeeded as Senate President in 2003 after the first of his two losses for Congress against Marilyn Musgrave. "Appointing the wrong person could put the seat up for grabs again in 2010" is how the reporter paraphrases Matsunaka's rap against Lundberg. My observation to vacancy members is that if you're willing to let the Democrats game us out of picking our best-qualified candidate, I have some mortgage-backed securities to sell you.

Nor is outgoing Sen. Johnson, whom Sealover associates with the same veiled knock on Lundberg as Matsunaka, the most believable source on who his successor ought to be. Steve was frequently my ally when we served together, but in 2005 he was among the minority of Republicans who backed the Ref C tax increase, and this year he was among the minority of all Coloradans who liked the TABOR-busting Amendment 59. Lundberg, staunchly against both, better reflects the GOP mainstream.

Third in the chorus of voices trying to steer Larimer Republicans toward moderate newcomer Mike Lynch is Rep. Don Marostica, who is quoted as suggesting that passing over Lundberg is "absolutely the first step" toward a new and better direction for the party. But how interesting to find from Denver Post vote tallies of last week's election that Lundberg got 12% more votes than Marostica as both won another term.

In fact, Lundberg led the entire 2008 Republican ticket in Larimer County in terms of vote percentage. Some "wrong person" to appoint as the next senator from SD-15.

The moderates-are-our-future thesis, perversely trumpeted in advance of election day by former congressman Scott McInnis, got little validation from Maverick McCain's statewide and national defeat. Nor is it persuasive in the upcoming Lynch-Lundberg contest.

Disclosure: I am listed as an endorser on Kevin Lundberg's Senate campaign materials.

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