Thread: No walkovers in 7 Colorado Senate runs

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No walkovers in 7 Senate runs
Primary races providing contentious lead-ins to big battle in November

By April M. Washington And Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News
July 20, 2006

Here's something you don't often see in a Democratic primary: two state Senate candidates talking about which one has the right approach on illegal immigration.

Rep. Val Vigil, who is term-limited in the House, wants the Adams County seat Sen. Lois Tochtrop was appointed to in January 2005.

Historically, the seat has been held by a Democrat, but the GOP is optimistic this year, believing Tochtrop and Vigil are vulnerable because of their record on immigration.

The showdown is one of seven contested Colorado Senate primary races on the Aug. 8 ballot.

"Immigration will be a big issue," said political analyst Katy Atkinson. "I think in most of these races people are looking for someone who identifies with them."

Democrats have an 18-17 edge in the Senate, and each party is working around the clock to win the majority in November.

Here's a look at three of the primary races for seats in the state Senate:

Senate District 24

Vigil sponsored unsuccessful legislation for three years running to give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.

Tochtrop, in the special legislative session this summer, switched her vote on allowing voters to have a say on whether to give benefits to illegal immigrants.

Both moves have the the Trailhead Group salivating. The GOP political issues group, founded by Gov. Bill Owens and others, is going after both candidates in hopes of weakening them for the November election.

Trailhead director Alan Philp said one poll it conducted shows that more than 80 percent of Republicans, Democrats and unaffiliated voters in Adams County would be less likely to vote for a candidate who backs in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.

Tochtrop said she believes it was Trailhead that sent "robocalls" to voters about her during the special session, saying she is soft on immigration, because they would rather see Vigil on the November ballot.

But Vigil brushed off any contention that he is the more vulnerable of the two.

"When you talk to people in the district, all they talk about is immigration," he said. "But they don't know what they want to do about illegal immigration. That's the whole problem.

"At the end of the day, I think I'm more qualified than Lois Tochtrop. I have a lot more to give the people."

Tochtrop shot back, saying she is more connected to the people of her district than Vigil.

"I'm the incumbent; I know the district," she said. "Their concerns are immigration, immigration, immigration. One thing I hear from people in my district is that they don't want services going to immigrants, including in-state tuition.

"Even though we are both Democrats, there are some clear lines between us."

Senate District 32

Sen. Dan Grossman, of Denver, opted not to run for another four-year term, kicking off a battle among three Democratic hopefuls.

Running are Chris Romer, son of former Gov. Roy Romer; Jennifer Mello, who nearly won a seat on the University of Colorado Board of Regents in 2004 despite entering the race at the last minute; and Rep. Fran Coleman, who is term-limited in the House.

Political observers say Romer has an edge based on name recognition and family connections - and that he's not above using them to gain points with voters.

"Romer is not even trying to pretend he is not his dad," Atkinson said.

But the younger Romer dismisses assertions that he is riding on his father's coattails.

"Sure, sitting at my father's dinner table for 46 years has had an influence in molding me," he said. "Frankly, this campaign is about me, not him. The bottom line is the person who will win the race is the candidate who has the persuasions at the doorstep."

Coleman, meanwhile, is promoting her legislative experience and said she hopes that will enable her to overcome Romer's name recognition and sizable campaign war chest. She said her polling shows the race in a dead heat.

"Individually, if it was him and I, and no dad to aspire to, I certainly would have an edge over him on legislative solutions," she said.

Mello, who is 34, is touting her age and work ethic. "We need young people to represent Colorado," she said. "I know how to do the tough work to get things done at the Capitol."

Of Romer, she said, "He can have a famous name, but we have grass-roots voter support."

Senate District 22

This was supposed to be an open race, with candidates vying to replace term-limited Sen. Norma Anderson, R-Lakewood. But Anderson unexpectedly retired in January and pushed the appointment of her successor, Kiki Traylor, of Littleton.

Anderson was a moderate who spoke her mind, and some conservatives were outraged she got a say in picking her replacement.

Traylor faces two opponents, Mike Kopp and Justin Everett, in a race where the issue has become which candidate has the most conservative credentials.

Sen. Jim Dyer, R-Centennial, who believes Traylor is one of the more thoughtful and insightful lawmakers at the Capitol, doesn't understand why his party doesn't believe Traylor is conservative enough.

"Kiki Traylor is what I call the classic Reagan Republican," he said, pointing to her voting record. "Ronald Reagan was not a radical and he was not a squishy Republican. He stood for something. So does she."

But Kopp, the lone candidate to get on the ballot through the assembly route, charged that Traylor's financial support largely comes from Democratic donors and special interests seeking to keep a moderate GOP in the seat.

"The grass-roots Republicans chose me exclusively because I've been unwavering on conservative issues," he said. "When you have every major lobby backing you, the upside is you get a lot of money. The downside is you owe a lot of favors. The list of favors I'll have to pay back is to the voters in the district."

Everett also criticized Traylor's appointment to Anderson's seat and automatic incumbency.

"People are tired of top-down politics," he said. "My values are the district's values, which are traditional family values, smaller government, tough on immigration and fiscal responsibility."

Said Traylor: "I think my record through the session shows my conservative credentials. Anyone can talk about voting conservative. I'm the only one who can prove it."

The seven contested state Senate primary races

District 24 (Adams County)

• Sen. Lois Tochtrop, 64, of Thornton; nurse

• Rep. Val Vigil, 59, of Thornton; financial consultant and Realtor

• The race: Republicans believe they have a shot at the historically Democratic seat because of Tochtrop's and Vigil's stances on illegal immigration - a notion both Democrats dismiss.

District 32 (Denver, Jefferson counties)

• Rep. Fran Coleman, 61, of Denver; retired contract specialist with US West

• Jennifer Mello, 34, of Denver; former policy analyst for the Bighorn Center for Public Policy

• Chris Romer, 46, of Denver; public finance banker

• The race: Former three-term Gov. Roy Romer has been out of office for nearly eight years, but he still casts a giant shadow.

District 7 (Mesa, Garfield counties)

• Rep. Josh Penry, 30, of Fruita; marketing and business development

• Former Rep. Matt Smith, 48, of Grand Junction; attorney

• The race: Penry learned the ropes working for former U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis, who happens to be Smith's brother-in-law. McInnis is airing TV ads for Smith, but Penry is considered to have the edge.

District 13 (Weld County)

• Rep. Dale Hall, 54, of Greeley; financial investment representative

• Scott Renfroe, 39, of Greeley; concrete contractor

• The race: Party hard-liners are upset that Hall supported Referendum C last year and are backing Renfroe.

District 16 (Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Grand, Jefferson, Summit counties)

• Barry Thoma, 48, of Sugarloaf; telecommunications engineer at Raytheon

• Marty Neilson, 64, of Lyons; Realtor and financial officer, longtime party activist

• The race: The winner faces a formidable Democrat, Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, who is running for re-election.

District 22 (Jefferson County)

• Sen. Kiki Traylor, 41, of Littleton; pediatrician

• Justin Everett, 34, of Littleton; small-business consultant and arbitrator/mediator

• Mike Kopp, 37, of Littleton; owner of Forward Think Strategies

• The race: Traylor's surprise appointment to succeed Sen. Norma Anderson in January upset some Republicans, who wanted to go with someone who already had announced intentions to run for the seat.

District 30 (Douglas County)

• Mike Baisley, 50, of Roxborough Park; president of Proavista, a homeland defense contractor

• Rep. Ted Harvey, 41, of Higlands Ranch; owner of Metro Funding Corp., a mortgage company

• The race: The candidates differ little politically, but Baisley says his experience living in three different countries makes him appreciate our government, while Harvey boasts about his legislative know-how.

"I'm the incumbent; I know the district," she said. "Their concerns are immigration, immigration, immigration. One thing I hear from people in my district is that they don't want services going to immigrants, including in-state tuition.

Oops, I think she intended to say illegal immigrants, not immigrants. Of course the pro-illegal immigrant people keep using the term immigrant to describe illegals, so I guess there is nothing wrong with her doing it (she could use the argument that the opposition uses that term to identify illegals).