Blog Archives

The formation of the new group suggests Gardner may be considering a statewide run

WASHINGTON – In a sign he may be angling for a future statewide run, Rep. Cory Gardner has opened a new fundraising organization that allows the Yuma Republican to raise money more efficiently.

Gardner for Colorado is the name of the new joint fundraising committee. Made up of both his candidate committee and his leadership political action committee, the organization allows donors committed to his campaign and to that of GOP candidates he supports to write one check instead of two. Read more »

Udall has indicated he will support Brennan’s confirmation

WASHINGTON — Senator Mark Udall helped break one major logjam over the nomination of John Brennan to serve as CIA Director.  He has been unable to help break the other. Read more »

The $982 billion package would fund the federal government through the end of the fiscal year

WASHINGTON — Faced with the politically unappealing prospect of letting the doors of the federal government close later this month, all four House Republicans and one Democrat from Colorado Wednesday voted to keep them open for another half year at least. Read more »

Mental-health experts told committee members of large holes in the nation’s services and laws

WASHINGTON — Rep. Cory Gardner said changing a federal-health privacy law and state involuntary commitment laws would help avert mass shootings such as those that occurred in Littleton and Aurora, Colorado. Read more »

The Club for Growth did not intervene in any of the seven congressional races in Colorado last year

WASHINGTON — Cory Gardner of Yuma was ranked as the 57th most pro-growth member of the House of Representatives by the influential conservative interest group Club for Growth.  Scott Tipton of Cortez was ranked the 112th.

In a chamber with 435 members, being rated in the top quarter might be cause for a toast. Yet each Republican bristled when asked his reaction to the ranking. Read more »

CONFLICT? The romantic relationship between a Denver Post political reporter and the head of a environmental group should be disclosed publicly, two leading journalists said

WASHINGTON — The romantic relationship between the Denver Post‘s Washington correspondent and the head of an environmentalist interest group should be disclosed publicly, two leading journalists said.

Washington reporter Allison Sherry’s ties with the Center for Western Priorities’ Trevor Kincaid have been the subject of one blog post and off-the-record musings among Republican staff members in Colorado’s congressional delegation for years. But the propriety of a Washington reporter dating a political actor seeking to influnce members of Congress she covers has not been explored. Read more »

The Senate voted 58-41 Tuesday to approve the controversial nomination

WASHINGTON — With only hours to go before the U.S. Senate was slated to vote on the nomination of Chuck Hagel to serve as Secretary of Defense, Sen. Michael Bennet announced he would vote for the embattled nominee.

“Senator Bennet has received assurances that Senator Hagel would stand for Israel and our allies, work to strengthen Israel’s security, and is committeed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” Adam Bozzi, a spokesman for the Colorado Democrat,  told KDVR Tuesday. Read more »

Rep. Polis (D-Boulder) said he had no comment on whether Chuck Hagel should be confirmed as Secretary of the Department of Defense

WASHINGTON –  On the eve of a Senate vote on the controversial nomination of Chuck Hagel to serve as Secretary of Defense, Rep. Jared Polis said he was unaware of critical remarks that a leading Democratic lawmaker and a gay philanthropist made of the nominee.

“I have not seen those comments,” the Boulder Democrat said of statements that Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) and James Hormel have made about Hagel’s positions on Israel and gay issues in the previous six weeks. Read more »

Colorado’s Representatives offered different responses to Mr. Obama’s proposals

WASHINGTON — Members of the Colorado congressional delegation gave mixed reviews to President Obama’s legislative proposals Tuesday night. Their response to the State of the Union address depended on the issue.

Rep. Doug Lamborn indicated support for Obama’s proposal to end the marriage penalty for low-income couples. “That’s something I would like to know more about. I don’t know the details of it, but it could really help working families. And I would support it very strongly,” the Colorado Springs Republican said Tuesday night at the Capitol. Read more »

Most Democrats on the panel suggested that Hagel’s performance and statements were sluggish and incomplete

WASHINGTON –Senator Mark Udall cast a key vote Tuesday for Chuck Hagel to serve as Secretary of Defense, commending the embattled nominee for his performance at his widely panned confirmation hearing 12 days ago.

The Colorado Democrat praised not only the credentials of President Obama’s pick to head the Pentagon, but also his testimony and the support of two senior members of the traditional defense establishment at the Jan. 31 confirmation hearing. Read more »