Cory Gardner

Outgoing U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Loveland) might be going back to college after he leaves the Senate in January.

Allard is being considered as the next chancellor for the Colorado State University system, which includes campuses in Fort Collins and Pueblo, the Greeley Tribune is reporting.

The chancellor position opened up when Larry Penley resigned on Nov. 5.

Politics is often figuratively called a contact sport - but some Colorado politicians got some real bumps and bruises on the campaign trail this year.

State Rep. Jerry Frangas (D-Denver) re-aggravated an old football injury while trying to knock on every door in his district, according to the Rocky Mountain News. A cortisone shot and two weeks of rest later, he was back out on the streets campaigning, achieving his goal of reaching 100 percent of his area.

State Rep. Ellen Roberts (R-Durango) said Monday that she was threatened with primary opposition in 2010 if she didn't remove herself from last week's race for state House minority caucus chair.

"I got a phone call, and it was suggested that if I would back out (of the caucus chair race), things could be easier or things could be harder," Roberts said. "It's no secret that there's a Senate district election coming up in my area in 2010. So there was conversation about what impact my going forward in the caucus chair race would have on that."

Roberts -- who is mulling a potential run for state Senate District 6 in 2010 -- kept her name in nomination anyway. During last Thursday's House Republican Caucus meeting, she lost the minority caucus chair election to state Rep. Amy Stephens (R-Colorado Springs).

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 state Reps. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) and 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).

On Thursday, Colorado Republican and Democratic caucuses from both state legislative chambers chose their leadership positions for next year. Here's a list of who they chose:

DENVER--State Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Yuma) won a battle of the Gardners on Thursday morning, holding onto his Minority Whip position despite a challenge from state Rep. Bob Gardner (R-Colorado Springs).

State Sen. Nancy Spence (R-Centennial) was named to the newly created position of Senate Minority Whip.

State Senator-elect Al White (R-Hayden) was named to the Joint Budget Committee. For the past two years, White has served on the JBC as a state representative.

Greg Brophy

With the 4th Congressional District now under Democratic control, state Sen. Greg Brophy (R-Wray) will be looking into a run for the seat in 2010.

"My wife and I have to talk about what we're going to do," Brophy told PolitickerCO.com on Wednesday afternoon. "And I have to visit with my friends who live in that seat who are perfectly capable of being great congressmen too and see what it is that they want to do."

Political insiders are already looking beyond Nov. 4 and towards 2010. If (and many say 'when') Marilyn Musgrave (R-Fort Morgan) loses in the 4th Congressional District, there are already plenty of names being mentioned as candidates in what could become a crowded Republican primary.

UPDATED 4:45 P.M. 10/7/2008 

Although Republican U.S. Senate nominee Bob Schaffer said he opposed Amendment 52 during a Monday night debate, his manager said Tuesday that Schaffer misspoke and actually supports the proposal.

"Bob supports 52, he was unclear on the question last night," said Schaffer manager Dick Wadhams in an e-mail Tuesday.

Amendment 52, a ballot initiative backed by Republican lawmakers Cory Gardner (R-Yuma), Frank McNulty (R-Highlands Ranch), and state Sen. Josh Penry (R-Grand Junction),would tap into the state severance tax to pay for improvements to Interstate 70.