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PolitickerCO Partners
March 10, 2008 - 10:46am
Opinion
Coffman fights invisible foe
By Wally EdgeAs Mike Coffman’s campaign fights off another allegation of impropriety from Ethics Watch, Republicans in the 6th CD are of two minds about where the attacks are coming from.
On Friday, the Rocky Mountain News reported that Coffman aide Jacque Ponder, who works in the administrative offices of the SoS, “handed out ‘Mike Coffman for Congress 2008’ stickers …at an Arapahoe County Republican Assembly attended by more than 1,000 people.”
Ethics Watch, according to the Rocky, says Coffman is “making a mockery out of the Secretary of State's office," by allowing an aide to campaign for him. The Secretary of State’s office and its employees are responsible for holding elections and thus should be barred from campaigning they contend.
However, some say the attacks are inspired by Democrats that just want to get the Secretary of State’s office filled by a Democrat
“Well, the only thing the Democrats don’t have in Colorado is the Secretary of State’s Office,” said one Colorado GOP lobbyist. “They don’t care about the outcome of the 6th race per se, but they do want the Secretary of State. When elections are decided by a few hundred votes, how you count them makes a big difference.”
The theory is that if you apply enough pressure to Coffman by showing him that holding on to the SoS’s office is only hampering his election to Congress, he’ll eventually resign and the Governor will be able to pick a Democrat to replace him.
However some are saying that the attacks are inspired by Republicans working against Coffman who are only using Ethics Watch as a front.
“I don’t think it’s any of his opponent’s campaigns,” says one GOP consultant. “And I think that [Republican State Chairman] Dick Wadhams is now reconciled to Mike running as well. But Mike’s made some people mad and I’m hearing some noises that this is coming from inside the Party. It’s wholly personal though, not political. For some reason, an insult Mike gave out or something stupid is causing this.”
What a grand way to decide an election.
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Ethics Watch
Yes we know all that. We do research just like you. But the point is that Ethics Watch wasn't sitting at the Arapahoe County Assembly monitoring Jaque Ponder's activities. I doubt Chantell Taylor even knows what Jacque Ponder looks like. Obviously a Republican who doesn't like Mike Coffman tipped someone off with the Rocky.
Ethics Watch
A search of Ethics Watch's website reveals that they're a state-based affiliate of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a left-wing watchdog group.
Their director is a woman named Chantell Taylor who was previously an attorney at Perkins Coie. Before law school, she did trade policy for an outfit in DC called Public Citizen, which was founded by Ralph Nader.
It's clearly not a bunch of Republicans working against Coffman.
Luis Toro, the lefty
Luis Toro, the lefty blogfather formerly known as Colorado Luis, is lead counsel for Ethics Watch. Don't be surprised if there's a high-profile Latino Democrat hankering for an SoS appointment. Think Rick Garcia, Paula Sandoval or even Rosemary Rodriguez.
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