CO SEN: No Suthers Comfort
CO AG John Suthers (R), long-rumored to be a potential SEN candidate, announced he will run for re-election today instead. Suthers is the only GOP statewide office holder in CO, so his loss as a SEN candidate is something of a blow to the NRSC's recruiting efforts in what could potentially be a vulnerable Dem seat.
With Suthers out, knowledgeable sources believe RNC cmteman/ex-state Treas./ex-state Senate Maj. Leader Mark Hillman (R), '06 GOV nominee/ex-Rep. Bob Beauprez (R), and Aurora councilor Ryan Frasier (R), an African-American, are the candidates most likely to take another look at the race.
Suthers, in his release: "I've talked to hundreds of people during the last month and concluded I would have an excellent chance to win the Republican nomination and could wage a very viable general election campaign against U.S. Senator Michael Bennet. But I also think I have acquired an accurate picture of what would be involved. As a Republican challenger without the benefit of incumbency, or of an incumbent President to assist in fundraising, and facing the prospect of raising 8 to 10 million dollars to be a viable candidate, I believe I would essentially be Attorney General in name only for the next two years. It's quite clear I would need to spend an average of 6 to 8 hours per day, 6 days per week, fundraising over the next 21 months. I would also need to engage in out-of-state travel on a constant basis as part of the fundraising process. Every knowledgeable advisor I consulted agreed that a U.S. Senate campaign would cause me to be absent from the AG's office virtually full time. I realize that happens often when an officeholder seeks higher office and the public generally accepts that. But that fact has not proven comforting to me. ... The soul-searching process that I've gone through over the last month has proven to be an epiphany of sorts for me. I have learned that I enjoy the work I'm doing as Attorney General so much that I'm unwilling to give it up to campaign for a seat in the United States Senate."