I’ve had a lot of fun pointing at the Colorado GOP establishment’s preferred candidate, Jon Keyser (R. CO) who failed to gather enough signatures to get on the ballot and is the subject of voter fraud:
And now, if I have the latest story right, and I still can’t quite believe what I’m reading, the secretary of state’s office apparently knew about the possibility of forged signatures on Jon Keyser’s Senate-seat petitions a month ago – yes, a month ago — but no one ever told Wayne Williams, who is, you know, the actual secretary of state.
Not only did the people in Williams’ office not inform Williams, they apparently didn’t tell Keyser either. Or anyone from law enforcement. Or anyone anywhere. And just to make the story even better, they approved the very signatures they were warned about – some of them so obviously forged that even a TV reporter could spot them. (At last count, 7News reporter Marshall Zelinger had found 13.)
We get this news courtesy of the secretary of state’s office, which was so embarrassed by the story that they sent out a press release listing everything they had missed up to that point.
It turns out it wasn’t just forgeries. There was also a dead person whose signature wound up among those on the petitions. That’s right, the dreaded dead-voter story.
And this incident is pushing for real change:
Colorado’s secretary of state’s office announced changes in its petition verification process Thursday after it took more than a month for top officials to learn that employees had discussed concerns about possibly fraudulent petition signatures for U.S. Senate candidate Jon Keyser.
State elections director Judd Choate said the employees were alerted to suspect signatures by a contractor on April 14 but decided there wasn’t enough evidence to investigate. They weren’t required to report those suspicions to their managers, but going forward they will do so in similar incidents, Choate said.
“That was a failing on my part. We have made that correction,” he said.
Secretary of State Wayne Williams didn’t learn about the employees’ concerns until Tuesday. He immediately referred the matter to a Denver prosecutor who is investigating whether the circulator who turned in the signatures committed fraud. His office also alerted Keyser’s campaign.
We shall see. But lets take a look at the top GOP candidate who did make the ballot after pulling off a surprise win in the Colorado GOP convention. I give you Darryl Glenn (R. CO):
Asked about the issue by KNUS 710-AM’s Jimmy Sengenberger Show May 7, Glenn, an El Paso Couty Commissioner, said:
Glenn: Climate change, we can debate that until the cows come home, for lack of a better way of stating that. The bottom line is, I do not believe that man is contributing to that factor. We need to stand up for energy independence, and Colorado needs to lead the nation.
Sengenberger: I think this issue is so overblown. But it is something that is very important to Millennials in particular, because they have gone through a college process and a K-12 education where this is something constantly ingrained in them. How can we appeal to Millenials, to young people, in your mind on the issue of energy, to say, ‘We need to be developing our energy infrastructure in this country and in the state of Colorado, not harming it.
Glenn: I agree. And it’s an extensive conversation. You mentioned education. As conservatives, we cannot just concede education over to the Democrats. We really need to be actively involved. And that’s why I’ve been such a proponent of school choice and the other options that are out there, because the left is clearly out there driving the agenda, trying to shape the minds of the next generation.
This is the guy most likely to go up against U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D. CO) because it’s looking like this clown isn’t getting anywhere:
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Robert Blaha's team is experiencing a staff shakeup after his campaign manager quit.
Katey Price, a veteran political operative, resigned her post at the top of the campaign amid disagreements about political strategy. It's unclear whether Blaha's consultant, Jordan Gehrke, is still working for the campaign.
The turnover puts Blaha in a tough position at a crucial point in the campaign, as the candidate looks to regain footing from a prolonged fight to make the ballot just weeks before mail ballots are sent to voters in the June 28 primary.
And it's just the latest bit of drama in a race full of it.
Blaha spokeswoman Rachel Keane confirmed the campaign manager's departure earlier this week, downplaying the resignation and thanking Price for her efforts. She declined to discuss Gehrke's status with the campaign.
"In the normal ebb and flow of campaigns, it is common to have turnover with staff," Keane said.
Keane said Blaha is "in talks with a replacement" campaign manager but did not offer further details.
The GOP primary is June 28th.