Colorado GOP Senate Candidate Bob Schaffer and several of the most embattled incumbent Republican senators are going to skip the upcoming Republican national convention in St. Paul, Minn., according to an article in The National Journal.
Schaffer is running for the seat being vacated by Republican Wayne Allard.
Republican Schaffer, who has closed the gap on Democratic opponent Mark Udall in recent polls, still has an empty "Upcoming Events" page on his charmingly minimalist website, so there's no telling what he'll be doing that week.
Why would the GOP's Schaffer join the ranks of Republican incumbent senators such as Ted "series of tubes" Stephens (AK) and John McCain loyalist Sen. Susan Collins (ME), who are also avoiding the biggest Republican hootenanny in four years? Apparently he's joining the stampede to run as far as possible from extremely unpopular Republican President George W. Bush, who will speak on the first and last day of the GOP convention, and presumptive Republican nominee McCain, who has failed to generate excitement from anybody at all.
It also seems likely that Schaffer would like Colorado voters to forget he's a Republican.