CO-04: Gardner's Strong Week
It's been a banner week for state Rep. Cory Gardner (R), one of the GOP's top House challengers. He's seeking to topple freshman Rep. Betsy Markey (D-CO 04) and bring her historically GOP seat back into the fold.
On 3/16, GOP delegates at precinct caucuses in his CD's two biggest counties gave him overwhelming victories, and today, his top primary challenger -- ex-Ft. Collins Councilor Diggs Brown (R) -- withdrew from the race and endorsed him.
The caucus votes, which are the first step in the party endorsement process, were huge victories for Gardner. On the same night, both parties' establishment choices for SEN -- ex-LG Jane Norton (R) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D) -- were tripped up by insurgent challengers at the caucuses. But Gardner's grassroots support enabled him to survive such a challenge. In a year where the "outsider" tag is an attractive one, it's impressive that an establishment candidate can walk successfully between the two camps.
Brown's exit, likely spurred on by the results, should give Gardner the opportunity to focus on Markey, who sits in a very marginal, and expansive, seat that includes the rural eastern border and fast-growing Greeley and Fort Collins. He faces two other GOP candidates in the primary, but they have been non-factors so far. Gardner is from Yuma Co., the rural part of the state, and will need to introduce himself to voters in the more populous regions. His nearly $400K warchest, though, should aid him in that cause.
Markey's voting record gives Gardner plenty of ammunition as well. She's voted for the stimulus, the cap-and-trade bill, and while she voted "no" on the health care bill the first time around, she's pondering a "yes" vote on the Senate version. In a CD that gave John McCain 50%, a "yes" vote on all three may be too much for her to handle.
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