• Font Size    
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

GOP Looks To 2010 To Take Back State Legislature

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +   
Oct 30, 2008 6:42 pm US/Mountain

GOP Looks To 2010 To Take Back State Legislature

 Embed our Politics widget to get our news on your site

 Upcoming CBS4 Campaign '08 Election Coverage
by Michael Choy, cbs4denver.com
DENVER (CBS4) ― Republican leaders in Colorado plan to win back a couple of seats in both houses of the state Legislature on Nov. 4, then take back control of the state Capitol in 2010. Democrats believe their grassroots efforts across the state will make that difficult.

Republican state party Chairman Dick Wadhams is realistic about GOP chances in state House races this year, but is looking forward 2 years.

"I've always believed that winning the Legislature back was a 4 year program," Wadhams said. "That we would narrow the gap in both houses in 2008 and that we would win control in 2010."

"2010 is very important because it is the year we'll re-district the state once more and we want to be sure we have the members in place that can do that," said Pat Waak, Democratic state party chairwoman. "We have every intention of working to keep our majority."

Waak said Democrats have a chance to pick up some seats in the state Legislature on Nov. 4.

Wadhams predicted Sen. John McCain and U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer would win Colorado on Election Day for the GOP at the federal level.

"There's a national headwind out there, there's no doubt about it and we're running into a headwind, but we're going to do well," Wadhams said.

Both sides listed several close races for state House and Senate, including the battle for House District 55 in Mesa County. Republican Laura Bradford is taking on incumbent Democrat Bernie Buescher.

"We've recruited some great candidates for the state Legislature," Wadhams said. "Laura Bradford is running a great campaign in Grand Junction against Bernie Buescher which would be a huge victory for us if we could win that race because Bernie Buescher masquerades as a moderate in Grand Junction, then comes over here and votes for every tax increase and spending program and union giveaway Gov. (Bill) Ritter wants him to."

"I have confidence that Bernie Buescher is going to pull out that race again," Waak said. "I tend to not to throw labels around. I don't think labels are valuable to voters in the West. I think that Bernie Buescher is a moderate and if you look at his records on the joint budget committee he comes across as that way. I don't think that is really what people care about. They care about somebody that they know who has been knocking on doors and talking to them."

On a statewide and federal level, Wadhams also suggested that Gov. Ritter and Sen. Ken Salazar would both be vulnerable in 2010.

"There's no doubt Democratic majorities will increase in Congress this election," Wadhams said. "Sen. Salazar is going to be voting for a lot of programs that are out of the mainstream."

"When you have the ability to make public policy, you have to deliver on your commitments," Waak said. "It is going to be really hard given the mess the economy is in after 8 years of the Bush Administration."

"Republicans have proposed real solutions to transportation, health care, all the issue that are first and foremost in the state right now," Wadhams said.

Waak believes Democrats will maintain control and keep voters' confidence with a focus on health care and other "bread and butter" issues.

"They're going to be looking at government and saying 'did you make it easier for me to have the American dream?'" she said.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Curious & Controversial News

You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Politics

Top News Stories

© MMIX, CBS Television Stations Inc. All Rights Reserved.