Bob Gardner: GOP legislators may have been threatened to ensure Cory Gardner kept leadership post

State Rep. Bob Gardner (R-Colorado Springs) told the House Republican Caucus on Thursday that some Republican legislators may have been threatened with a primary opponent in 2010 if they didn't vote for state Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) for Minority Whip.

Bob Gardner also said Cory Gardner and state Rep. Frank McNulty (R-Highlands Ranch) approached him about running for Minority Whip in a bid to unseat Assistant House Minority Leader David Balmer (R-Centennial).

Cory Gardner, who was rumored to be considering challenging Balmer for Assistant House Minority Leader, was elected Minority Whip over Bob Gardner via secret ballot.

Balmer was re-elected Assistant House Minority Leader by acclamation.

"Some of you may have already been threatened with a primary about your vote here today," Gardner said. "It is a matter of personal style. If you want a style that twists your arm, than I'm not your candidate. But if you want a style that is open and honest and respectful and listens to you ... I ask for your vote."

"I first considered running for Whip when representatives Cory Gardner and McNulty came to me in their bid to unseat our assistant minority leader," Gardner said. "I thought that I might be, just may be a part of a multidimensional, or even multiambitional chess game, but they assured me that that was not the case. And in fact, I took them at their word."

Both Cory Gardner and McNulty denied making any threats to Republican legislators about primary opponents, though McNulty said he asked Bob Gardner about running for Whip over coffee about a month ago.

McNulty said he approached Gardner because at that point he was worried about how Republicans would perform in the November elections -- a task that Balmer, as assistant minority leader, took a significant role in tackling. McNulty also said Gardner was "a good moderate voice in leadership."

But as for Gardner's accusations to threats being made to ensure Cory Gardner's election as Whip, McNulty said he has "no idea what Bob Gardner's talking about."

"Obviously (he's) a little bit bitter," McNulty said. "His words tended to indicate that he had to have some knowledge that the votes weren't going to go his way (for Whip) - and as it turned out, they didn't."

McNulty said his concerns about the House Republican leadership's capabilities in helping House GOP candidates win this election cycle were dismissed on election night, when the Republicans made a net gain of two seats in the lower chamber.

"I think that I am comfortable with the leadership team that we have now," McNulty said.