Senator Bill Cadman (R-CO Springs) was elected Minority Leader of the state Senate GOP caucus today. As the Peak was first to report on Tuesday, Cadman was the frontrunner for the position and our sources told us he was likely to lock up the race in the coming days. Today's election confirmed our reports.
The speculation by our sources that Senator Ted Harvey (R-Highlands Ranch) would mount a campaign turned out to be just that, speculation, as the Douglas County stalwart quickly fell in line behind Cadman.
Senator Mark Scheffel (R-Parker) moved up the ranks from the number three position as Caucus Chair to become Assistant Minority Leader. Senator Scott Renfroe (R-Greeley) was elected to Republican Caucus Chairman and Senator Kevin Grantham (R-Canon City) is now Senate Minority Whip.
Our sources note that this is one of the first drama-free leadership elections in the GOP in a while, a positive sign heading into what is likely to be a hyper-partisan and bruising legislative session come January.
With the united front in the GOP Senate caucus, we expect Brandon Shaffer will have little to no chance to peel away GOP votes for his bills — so expect a lot of Shaffer floor speeches denouncing the GOP while ironically pushing his campaign message of bipartisanship solutions.