No presidential strawpoll, but spirited debate in state
High stakes for those hoping to challenge Democratic Sen. Bennet in November
A pair of bruising Republican races — one for the U. S. Senate, the other for president — drove tens of thousands of GOP voters to precincts across Colorado on Tuesday night, even though the caucus fight likely will have little effect on either contest.
That’s in large part because of a decision by the state party to cancel its presidential straw poll, a move that makes it nearly impossible to gauge the level of support in Colorado for Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio or Donald Trump.
It’s also a change many Republicans still regret.
“It’s a tradition, like putting up a tree at Christmas,” said Mary Payne, a 71- year- old home health aide from Thornton, of the straw poll.
Even so, Republican officials said enthusiasm was high and that the nearly 3,000 precinct locations across the state were flashpoints for debate.
At Columbine High School, one of the precinct captains, Ron Kocsis, said itwas his impression that caucus- goers there were split between Trumpand the other candidates— although his own preference was for Rubio.
“I worry people are being just as naive about Trump as they were about ( Barack) Obama,” he said.
In a science classroom at Northglenn High School, with biology and environmental science textbooks piled on the tables, 16 Republicans attended the Precinct 51 caucus.
Even though the state Republican Party canceled the strawpoll, Adams County officials decided to hold an “unofficial” count.
The precinct didn’t entertain speeches from the candidates’ supporters—“You know who the candidates are,” the organizer said. Instead, the neighbors wrote a last name on a pink slip and submitted it to the secretary.
The final vote count: Trump six, Cruz four, Rubio four and Carson one.
Said Trump supporter Laura Frank: “I think that he’s bold and pretty forceful and that is going to be necessary to get something done.”
While far from definitive, there was more at stake Tuesday night for several of the Republican candidates running for Senate and the chance to challenge Sen. Michael Bennet, the incumbent Democrat.
Under the nominating rules, candidates can qualify for the June 28 primary ballot one of two ways: either by collecting 1,500 signatures from each of the state’s seven congressional districts or by garnering enough support at the party’s April 9 convention.
The convention route is trickier; to qualify by that method a candidate must earn at least 30 percent support at the April 9 event from about 3,000 select Republicans in attendance.
Tuesday’s caucus was important to that effort because the party’s rank- and- file began the process of selecting who should be among those 3,000 select Republicans—which led to some jockeying among the Senate candidates.
The two who had the most riding on Tuesday night were El Paso Commissioners Darryl Glenn and Peg Littleton. Athird candidate— state Sen. Tim Neville, R- Littleton — is expected to crack the 30 percent mark easily, so Glenn and Littleton have said they see the caucus as an essential first step to getting on the ballot through the convention.
“So far I have been very pleased,” Littleton said in a phone interview. “People are very enthused and excited that I am respecting the grassroots and going through the caucus process and the state assembly.”
Other Senate candidates such as business man Robert Blaha, former CSU athletic director Jack Graham and former state Rep. Jon Keyser are going the petition route.
Former Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier said he also is taking that approach but said he is leaving open the option to pursue a path through the convention.
“At this point, why not keep that option out there?” said Frazier, who added that he planned to travel to caucus sites in Jefferson and Arapahoe counties, aswell as Denver.