Money talks ... But what about Pueblo?

By Jessica Peck Corry

After posting record fundraising numbers in the last quarter, freshman U.S. Senator Michael Bennet should take a moment to kick back with a Coors. Pete Coors, that is.

While Bennet earned not a penny from donors in Pueblo, Greeley, or Grand Junction in the last fundraising quarter, he brought in more than $400,000 -- or nearly a fourth of his total yield — from California, New York, and Washington, D.C. 

If there is anything this political newcomer should understand from Colorado’s last few election cycles, it’s that Colorado voters don’t like feeling like their vote is being bought.

Yes, money matters, but it’s all about how that cash is spent that really counts. Reflect for a moment on Coors’ failed 2004 U.S. Senate bid. As Business Week recalled in 2004 of his successful primary race against former Congressman Bob Schaffer, “Coors trounced Schaffer the old-fashioned way -- with tons of cash. In the last two weeks of the primary race, he lent his campaign $400,000, which helped pay for 400 red-white-and-blue billboards and a TV ad blitz that described his humble beginnings -- if sweeping floors at the family brewery qualifies as humble.”

As history would have it, however, things went south for Coors in the general election against Ken Salazar, who was described by Business Week as “a populist who polishes his man of the people image by holding ice cream socials, touring the state in a dusty green pickup, and talking about growing up poor in a farmhouse with no electricity. With a résumé that includes securing water for rural communities, Salazar is strong in Colorado's usually reliable Republican countryside.”

Bennet, a millionaire with East Coast roots, can’t rewrite his personal history of Ivy League schools. Based on Coors’ example, it would be a mistake to do so. Raising tons of cash remains the next best thing he can do, but he needs to make inroads into southern and western Colorado to win in a state that still sees Republicans and Democrats evenly matched in numbers.

If Republicans play their cards right, this could be extremely difficult task in 2010. Bennet’s success will likely largely depend on who the GOP puts up to challenge him. In the race thus far are Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck and Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier. While Buck has drawn national attention for his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, the 32-year-old Frazier is seen as a rising star willing to take on any political challenge —including unions, racial stereotypes (he is black), and the endless government appetite for more tax revenue.

Republicans could also likely benefit from another party member who could help sew up support in western Colorado. State Senate GOP Leader Josh Penry, also 32, who is expected to announce his gubernatorial candidacy shortly, has the potential to bring out young campaign foot soldiers in his Grand Junction home district. Should Penry run, he’ll face his former boss and Congressman Scott McInnis, who also represented the district and has already announced that he will challenge Gov. Bill Ritter in 2010.

Regardless of the outcome—and barring a Denver-based Republican jumping into race against Ritter—Republicans will boast at least one major candidate who comes from an area of the state where Bennet has rarely stepped foot. That being any square foot outside Denver.

Jessica Peck Corry (Jessica@i2i.org) is a public policy analyst with the Independence Institute in Golden, Colo., where she specializes in civil rights, higher education, and property rights.

Bookmark/Search this post with: