Holiday giving in the 6th CD means fundraising

The holiday season moves on into the first of the year in the next week and political insiders will be closely watching the campaign fundraising figures that will be reported at the conclusion of the fourth quarter. For all of the candidates the numbers will be scrutinized.

But the numbers for 6th congressional candidate, Secretary of State Mike Coffman will get a little extra attention.

Insiders have told the Inside Edge that the fundraising numbers for Coffman have particular meaning because the state GOP (see Wadhams, Dick) has been trying to hamper Coffman’s financing operations. The extent that they’ve been successful will be clear in a week.

As we’ve said in this space before, current Republican State Chair Dick Wadhams has peed in Coffman’s financing punchbowl. Wadhams has done so because Republicans fear that a Coffman victory in the 6th CD will mean Democratic Governor Bill Ritter will appoint a Dem into the vacant Secretary of State’s office. That will leave state Attorney General John Suthers as the lone Republican state-wide officer holder.       

Coffman dominated state political news before the holiday break over several conflict of interest stories generated regarding the Secretary of State’s office. Some insiders see as that too as Dick Wadhams handiwork. The net result could be an early exit for Coffman from the Secretary of State’s race.

“Why’d Coffman quit the Governor’s race two years ago?” asked an political consultant with knowledge of Republican strategy. “Bill Owens and his friends applied a little pressure to Coffman and ‘poof’ Coffman dropped out of the race and was bundled off to Iraq to hide for a year.”

Whether Coffman responds similarly to “a little pressure” applied by Republicans this go round remains to be seen. But if what a person will do in the future can be foretold by what he has done in the past, Wadhams’ strategy in regards Coffman makes a lot of sense. Why not smack Coffman around a little and see if he bleeds?   

Glad tiding for this holiday season also have missed state Senator Ted Harvey’s campaign for the 6th CD. Sources close to US Senator Wayne Allard have told us that Senator Allard is really, really peeved at Harvey for criticism that Harvey publically leveled at Allard regarding the latter’s efforts at immigration reform.  While Allard has not come out with a public endorsement of any candidate, it’s thought he will be doing everything he can to help Wil Armstrong win the 6th CD race and may eventually endorse him.

Harvey, says one political activist in the 30th Senate District (which Harvey represents) “has a lovely way of making himself hated.”