Following up on a Colorado Peak Politics story from December 7, today Lynn Bartels of The Denver Post reported that Senate President, and current CD4 Congressional candidate, Brandon Shaffer, is looking at making a switch to the more competitive CD6 race against Congressman Mike Coffman. Bartels adds to our story about his potential switch, reporting that there is a poll in the field trying to determine if he even has a small shot of winning.
Not only is Shaffer looking, says Bartels, but Senate Majority Leader John "Per Diem" Morse is also giving the race a gander.
To say this makes the Peak happy is an understatement. Giddy joy might be a more apt description.
Not only does this fresh round of reporting give credence to our report from five weeks ago, but it could herald the entry of two candidates into a competitive Congressional race that have long provided fodder for us through rape references and ethics investigations.
It also adds to our point that Democrats completely bollixed up their redistricting gerrymander. Despite drastically redrawing Congressional lines with pretty much the sole purpose of targeting Congressman Coffman, the Dems have been unable to find a single, solid candidate that actually resides in the district.
As Shaffer is from Longmont and Morse is from Colorado Springs, it brings the total to six candidates receiving prominent mentions for potential campaigns, all of whom live outside CD6. Current candidate state Rep. Joe Miklosi is from Denver, while Dr. Perry "Massage Therapist Millionaire" Haney filed in Lone Tree, which is now a part of CD4. Former legislators Andrew Romanoff and Karen Middleton also don't currently live in CD6, despite having their names floated for the race.
Do no good Democrats live in CD6?
Two questions we have for Bartels in regards to the poll she scooped us on:
1. Did they poll to find out the reaction to Brandon Shaffer comparing himself to a rape victim?
2. Did they poll Joe Miklosi to see how he feels about his colleagues crashing his Congressional race?
But not an illegal one, which was also lucky for Bob Beauprez back in the day.
BTW, Peak, why aren’t you blacking out today? Are you in Hollywood’s pocket, like Bennet?
Coffman will win CD6 easily now. And Ed Perlmutter is in real trouble with Joe Coors about to jump in. Didn’t the Dems have all this figured out? Didn’t they control the redistricting process?
though it sounds like Morse won’t take the bait, it’s hilarious Shaffer is contemplating running in a district he doesn’t even live close to; thus switching from a race for a district he doesn’t live in either. Could he look any more self serving if he tried?
The CO Dems are starting to look like the GOP around 04-08, where the bench was depleted, and the up-and-comers (i.e. Hillman, Witwer, etc) weren’t running for the right offices, etc.
Thought there isn't a Constitutional requirement to live in one's CD, is there a Colorado statue that requires that our US legislators live in their districts, or is it merely acceptable behavior?
I'm wondering if states can put another layer of requirements on top of the Constitutional ones.
there is no Constitutional requirement that a congressional candidate (or for that matter a sitting congressman) live in their district, only that they reside in the state. States also do not have to have districts either, but with the exception of single seat states (i.e. Wyoming, Rhode Island) they all do.
As Aristotle mentioned, Beauprez did not live in CD-7 while he was running, but later moved into the district. State legislators are, however, required to live in their districts, which compounds why the Dem’s reapportionment maps are such a joke.