It looks like the departure of three candidates from the Senate Democratic primary means more room in the pool for new candidates to take their place, and Denver businesswoman Denise Burgess didn’t waste any time.

She announced her candidacy Monday as former candidates Mike Johnston, John Walsh and Don Baer were still gathering up their millions in donations and going home. 

Burgess comes with an impressive resume, and could present a strong challenge to John Hickenlooper’s hope that he’s the only moderate running on their side of the aisle.

Burgess is the owner of Burgess Construction and Engineering Services, sits on the board of trustees at the Colorado School of Mines and is a former chair of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.

She was inducted into the Colorado Black Hall of Fame last year, and has won numerous awards for her public service including the 2002 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., humanitarian award. 

We’ll break it down for PeakNation in words, rather than just a photo gallery like Colorado Politics — there’s only two white males still in the primary race — old, white dude Hickenlooper and younger, white dude Andrew Romanoff.

The other eight candidates are all women — black, white, and hispanic women. 

Burgess joins two African American women already campaigning for the nomination — Stephany Spaulding and State Sen. Angela Williams.

Lorena Garcia is the only hispanic in the race. And there are four white women — Michelle Warren, Diana Bray, Alice Madden, and Tirsh Zornio.

The question now is, will this be the year of the woman for Colorado Democrats? Or, will they simply divide and dilute their constituency?

One thing’s for sure, while the men are buckling to the demands of establishment Washington to drop out of the race and hand the nomination to Hick, the women have all stood their ground, and at least one more has joined in the fight.

Some Democratic lawmakers think we need tougher rules for the state’s recall process to make it harder for voters to hold them accountable.

Never mind the process worked just fine — tough requirements and the large number of signatures required kept several efforts from reaching the ballot.

We knew it was a long shot to recall Gov. Polis, although the effort sent a clear message to Democrats that voters were furious over the anti-energy and anti-gun laws as well as the so-called Popular Vote Act.

The stand-alone recall for the voting act that strips Coloradans of their presidential voting power was a wildly successful effort and made the ballot.

Meanwhile, the recall effort against state Senate President Leroy Garcia continues in Pueblo with an Oct. 18 deadline for petitions.

This hardly constitutes as an abuse of the system, but some Democrats are taking voter anger very personally. 

“Recalling someone because you don’t like the way a person voted on a couple of issues disrespects the electorate and undermines the democratic process,” said Sen. Pete Lee of Colorado Springs.

Not surprising Colorado Democratic Party chair Morgan Carroll told the Denver Post the recall process is being abused as a “frivolous political game” and should be toughened.

Democrats think they should only face recalls if they are busted breaking a law, not for stripping us of a constitutional right or giving away our presidential vote.

Democrats think we should just take that on the chin.

Hell froze over this week when U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette endorsed President Trump’s call to take flavored e-cigarettes off the market.

I don’t often agree with the Trump admin, but on this I do. These flavored nicotine products are causing real harm to the health of our children. That’s why I filed legislation months ago to ban them in the U.S. We have to do more to protect our kids. https://t.co/swQKt3iLkg

— Rep. Diana DeGette (@RepDianaDeGette) September 11, 2019

(Trump’s) announcement comes amid a mysterious outbreak of illnesses associated with people using vape pens and e-cigarettes for marijuana and nicotine. In recent weeks, more than 450 people have been hospitalized for lung diseases, often accompanied by shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, fatigue, vomiting and fevers.

DeGette was hot on the “ban everything” wagon this week, and successfully pushed through her measure in the House Judiciary Committee to ban high-capacity magazines nationwide. 

We have no idea what her legislation would actually do.

Has anyone bothered to inform her that magazines are not actually bullets, as she once famously, and incorrectly, explained?

Meanwhile, DeGette is still complaining about the BLM move to Grand Junction, and managed to insult the Western Slope workforce this week while she was at it.

Democrats are dragging their feet on support, claiming unfilled staff vacancies in D.C. would get even worse if they relocated to Colorado, where they assume no one is familiar or experienced in such pesky land issues. 

DeGette demanded the Trump administration present her with a plan for staffing after the move

“Do you think simply moving the office will solve the staffing problems? What is your longer-term plan?” DeGette asked.

The proposal would shift 74 positions that currently focus on national issues to state functions, which DeGette said is still not enough to deal with current vacancies.

How about this for plan, Ms. DeGette — hire Coloradans.

Democrats are dropping like flies in the Senate primary race to make way for the anointed one, John Hickenlooper.

This time it’s Dan Baer, a former Obama administration ambassador and the only openly gay man in the race.

Three candidates have dropped out in the three weeks since Hick abandoned his failed presidential bid, and their concession statements are starting to sound like scripts issued by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Hickenlooper, all the former candidates say, is the only viable candidate to take on U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner.

Andrew Romanoff is the only Democrat openly defying orders from Washington to make way for Hick, and says he’s being blackballed for daring to run without their permission. 

Romanoff and Hick are the only men left in the race, the other seven candidates are all women.

Hickenlooper may have name recognition, but he’s not a candidate that motivates voters and it’s unlikely he could ever beat Gardner by himself.

Hick will have to ride the coattails of the Democrat’s eventual presidential nominee when the November election rolls around.

Hick also enters the Senate race with a bare bank account, compared to the nearly $3.4 million that Mike Johnston raised before he dropped out of the race.

John Walsh raked in nearly $775,000, and Baer leaves the race after raising more than $1.3 million.

Any of those men were just as capable of riding presidential coattails as Hick.

What they lack, is the permission from party elders to hold elected office.

Voters be damned.

Colorado Democratic Chairwoman Morgan Carroll should be ashamed of herself for allowing Washington to control the state party.

Michael Bennet finally opened a national headquarters for his flailing presidential campaign this week in his home state of Colorado.

It might have boosted his Colorado polling a nudge from 1%, had the candidate bothered to even show up for the Lakewood event.

But the Colorado senator couldn’t make time for us, or his national office opening.

He sent his wife instead, with a plate of cookies.

Bennet also blew off interview requests from the Denver Post.

But who can honestly blame him?

It no longer matters whether Democratic office holders here bother with us at all or do the job for which they were elected.

All that matters is that they’re establishment Democrats with statewide name recognition.

Hickenlooper flu appears to be contagious within the Senate Democratic primary claiming a second candidate on Wednesday, former U.S. Attorney John Walsh.

Of course Walsh endorsed Hick in his concession email.

No word on whether Walsh will return the $2,800 contribution from Hick’s ex-wife.

What’s interesting to note in this collapse of the House of Democrat, Hick supporters and his own challengers aren’t backing the former governor with waves of praise on what a great senator he will make or all of the wonderful things he would do for Colorado.

Hell, Hickenlooper himself bragged about what a lousy senator he would make.

Instead, liberals are willing to sacrifice Colorado’s Senate seat held by an outstanding, hardworking and competent Senator Cory Gardner because they all hate Trump.

That’s if Hickenlooper can beat Gardner. 

With the General Election still more than a year away, Democrats are taking a mighty big risk putting all of their eggs in one basket one a candidate still stumbling out the gate.

A video clip of John Hickenlooper at an endorsement event with the Greater Denver Ministerial Alliance, a predominantly black group, captured a controversial comment that once landed Joe Biden in hot water with Barack Obama.

The Daily Wire shared the clip on Twitter, along with the transcript.

Is Hickenlooper racist? Insensitive? Or does he get a pass for being an offensive old white dude because he’s a Democrat?

You decide.

STAFFER: “I’m going to come back later to film [the black ministers], they each want to do oral testimonies.”

HICKENLOOPER: “Oh, that’s so cute. That’s huge. Especially since these guys are so articulate.” [emphasis added]

STAFFER: “So articulate.”

John Hickenlooper, while at an event earlier this year with a group of black pastors, said they were “so articulate”

The video, which has not been previously reported on, comes as Hickenlooper is seeking the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Colorado pic.twitter.com/RlxmvKpJC5

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) September 10, 2019

When Biden made the “articulate” gaffe during the 2007 election, Obama had this to say:

“I didn’t take Sen. Biden’s comments personally, but obviously they were historically inaccurate. African-American presidential candidates like Jesse Jackson, Shirley Chisholm, Carol Moseley Braun and Al Sharpton gave a voice to many important issues through their campaigns, and no one would call them inarticulate.”

In a New York Times article following Biden’s “articulate” gaff, Pennsylvania University humanities professor Michael Dyson explained:

“Historically, it was meant to signal the exceptional Negro. The implication is that most black people do not have the capacity to engage in articulate speech, when white people are automatically assumed to be articulate.”

The video was captured in April at an endorsement event for Hickenlooper’s presidential campaign.

No word on whether the Ministerial Alliance will offer their endorsement again to Hickenlooper in the U.S. Senate race.

Big props to U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner for all his hard work to bring the temporary Space Command headquarters to Peterson Air Force Base and reboot the military’s efforts against attacks on our satellites from countries like China and Russia. 

Gardner backed President Trump’s February directive for this continued expansion of military space organizations, and urged the Trump administration to establish the command in Colorado.

It was about nearly a month later before the rest of the Colorado delegation, including U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, followed Gardner’s lead and backed the effort.

So of course some media outlets here credited Bennet for the decision — like he and Trump are all of a sudden big buddies.

It’s an understandable mistake to forget that Bennet is actually challenging Trump for the presidency.

America keeps forgetting Bennet is running for president, too.

So welcome to Colorado, Space Command!

Now, where can we get the t-shirt?

Bernie Sanders has declared Colorado as the epicenter of the fight against climate change, causing all the problems and reaping the disastrous effects, because polling now shows a majority of Americans favor a fracking ban and he was campaigning here anyway.

Not reliable polling, but one survey conducted by a leftist activist group that conducts its own polls to match its radical agenda that includes a ban on fracking.

Wild how that happens.

Sanders’ campaign blames droughts, floods and wildfires on fracking — as if those natural disasters have not existed throughout the history of mankind.

Our air pollution drifting in from China is also our fault, the campaign says.

And that’s why Bernie promised a fracking ban to rid us of our energy economy   while campaigning in Denver Monday night to a throng of like-minded socialist Democrats.

“There was a time when Democrats would hesitate before embracing fringe ideas like banning fracking or ‘ending’ fossil fuel, but 2020 Democrats are showing those days are over,” said Kyle Kohli, spokesman for the Republican National Committee in Colorado. 

“While President Trump and Cory Gardner continue to fight for energy jobs and a robust economy, Democrats like Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Elizabeth Warren would devastate Colorado’s energy industry and kill countless working class jobs,” Kohli said.

We remember a time when presidential despots candidates didn’t campaign on promises to destroy our livelihoods and turn us into a welfare state completely dependent upon the government.

Historically, they’ve had to rely on violence to force a populace into submission.

Now that’s progressive.

The Democratic Senate primary is off to a hilarious start with the first debate in Durango, where one candidate suggested certain death if John Hickenlooper is elected.

“It is no time for business as usual — the status quo will literally kill people,” said Alice Madden, a former top state lawmaker, referring to climate change.

And with that, all of the candidates proceeded to bore the audience to death before climate change could get her sweaty paws on them all.

The Colorado Sun described the “debate” as more of a pep rally for the party rather than the individual candidates allegedly there to debate issues.

The Denver Post said the Western Slope forum “allowed for few policy specifics, discouraged debate and resulted in stunted stump speeches.”

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/09/07/senate-debate-hickenlooper-gardner-2020/

Candidates danced around vague questions from moderator and party chairman Morgan Carroll, sticking to debate-free topics like climate change and whether it’s a woman’s turn to win the election.

The debate was so unremarkable, debate hometown newspaper, the Durango Herald, couldn’t even scratch up a decent quote from a single candidate.

If this is any indication of how Democrats are going to campaign for the Senate primary, they may as well just surrender the race to Hickenlooper.