Buescher's loss opens up House Speaker, Majority Leader races

UPDATED 5:30 P.M. 11/5/2008 

Speaker of the House, House majority leader positions, and assistant House majority leader positions are up for grabs at Tuesday's Democratic state House caucus, and several candidates are jockeying for position.

State Rep. Bernie Buescher (D-Grand Junction) had been the heir apparent to become Speaker of the House next year, but Buescher's surprise loss to Republican Laura Bradford has opened up a power vacuum for the position.

Assistant Majority Leader Terrance Carroll (D-Denver), state Rep. Anne McGihon (D-Denver), and Kathleen Curry (D-Gunnison) are in the running for House Speaker, a Democratic House source said.

McGihon has maintained for weeks that she had the votes to win the Speaker's gavel even against Buescher. But several House sources have questioned that claim, saying she's disliked by many people.

Carroll was named assistant House majority leader this spring with the assumption that he would move up to House Majority Leader next year.

For House majority leader, House Caucus Chair Andy Kerr (D-Lakewood) and state Rep. Paul Weissmann (D-Louisville) will face off, the source said.

Weissmann lost to Carroll in the race for assistant House majority leader this spring. He's known for his knowledge of parliamentary procedure.

However, Kerr may opt instead to seek the assistant House majority leader position, the source said. State Rep. Nancy Todd (D-Aurora) is also running for assistant House majority leader, the source said.

Kerr, Carroll, and McGihon, among others, did not return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday.

Both Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff (D-Denver) and House Majority Leader Alice Madden (D-Boulder) are term-limited and won't return next year.

The House Democratic Caucus will meet Thursday at 10 a.m. in the State Capitol.