Dan Grossman, a Denver State Senator and rising star in the Democratic party in Colorado is not going to run against Ben Nighthorse Campbell in the U.S. Senate race in Colorado. This leaves
Mike Miles and two others unlikely to win the nomination (
Brad Freedberg , a life long independent with crank tendencies and
Larry Johnson , a black lawyer and former teacher) alone in the race at the moment. Caucuses will be held April 13, and the nominee will almost certainly be chosen in early May at the State Democratic Party Convention.
The print edition of the Denver Post quotes Grossman as staying that he felt in his gut that the time wasn't right and that he decided on Thursday, but the online edition has not yet picked up the story. The story was also picked up, in shorter form, by the Rocky Mountain News print edition (also missing from the on line copy).
But, wealthy philanthropist Rutt Bridges, who is hosting a DSCC event on Monday and is known for his good government Bighorn Center for Public Policy , a Colorado think tank and sponsor of innocuous ballot initiatives is being recuited to run. Party leaders (read "Chris Gates") don't like Mike Miles, the leading contender for the nomination, because he hasn't raised enough money and has no political experience (or who knows, maybe it's personal).
Meanwhile, two Colorado state senators are making a bipartisan effort to deal with the fact that Colorado hasn't had a say in a Presidential nomination in decades.
The bill would move Colorado's caucuses (including those to select Presidential nominees) to the day after Iowa (before New Hampshire even). This would give Colorado more clout, cost it half of its delegates (the reason other states have delayed until Feb. 3), and continue to compress the Presidential primary process. From Colorado's perspective, it is the right thing to do.
