The Democrats are brewing some bitter tea for state Senate President and CD4 candidate Brandon Shaffer (D-Longmont). During the court battle over redistricting this past weekend, the lead Democrat lawyer, Mark Grueskin, was cross examining the Dems' top map drawing lawyer, Scott Martinez, and lead the conversation down a path that will not please the Senate President.
Where did the conversation lead? Democrats don't think Shaffer's opponent, Congressman Cory Gardner, can be beat. By anybody.
MR. GRUESKIN: I'm sorry, in District 4 — in district — well, let's — let's talk about District 4 just for expediency sakes.
MR. MARTINEZ: Sure. There's a 10 percent difference between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans have 37 percent and Democrats have 27 percent.
MR. GRUESKIN: And was that the difference in party registration at the time that Betsy Markey won that seat as a Democrat?
MR. MARTINEZ: Not as I understand it, no.
R. GRUESKIN: What do you understand? MR. MARTINEZ: There were certainly — it was a surge year, a number of Democrats were registered in Fort Collins in the college area, there was a significant area to register Democrats that simply don't live there anymore.
MR. GRUESKIN: And so in the 4th District as configured in the Hall map (almost identical to the current district), would you characterize that as a competitive district? MR. MARTINEZ: No, I would not.
MR. GRUESKIN: Would you characterize it as a district that is within reach by a Democrat?
MR. MARTINEZ: I don't know of one, no. No, it's not within reach.
MR. GRUESKIN: You don't know of a Democrats that could —
MR. MARTINEZ: No, I'm really trying to think of somebody, but I — I can't. [Peak emphasis]
Mark Grueskin is the lawyer that built the left’s vast political cabal. His legal mind and Tim Gill and Pat Stryker’s cash are a potent reason for the Dem’s primacy in this state.
With him and Scott Martinez, who is the lead lawyer for Democrats on state reapportionment and the chief map drawer, conspiring to trash Brandon Shaffer on the court record, it is pretty obvious the leading liberal forces in Colorado have all but abandoned the 4th Congressional District as winnable.
Why did they do it? They were trying to argue that current district lines don't allow competitive elections for Democrats — something that the Democrats believe should be a guiding philosophy for the court when it draws new Congressional district lines.
The redistricting map submitted on behalf of the state Democrat Party by Mark Grueskin, and drawn by Scott Martinez, uses competitiveness as a guise for moving 1.5 million Coloradans into new Congressional districts. In doing that Democrats would alter Congressman Mike Coffman's district from a safe Republican seat to a more competitive one (a foolhardy endeavor, but still their plan).
Coffman's only declared opponent, Joe Miklosi, is not much of a candidate, but apparently Democrats believe he has a better shot at Congress than Brandon Shaffer.
A bombshell this is — the Democrats' top lawyer is making Brandon Shaffer walk the plank to make room for Joe Miklosi.