Breaking

Jeff Crank's campaign manager said Monday CO-5 GOP candidate Bentley Rayburn should drop out of the race after both campaigns signed a written contract last month stating that the loser of a jointly commissioned poll would leave the race.

Crank manager Alan Philp said the poll results showed Crank with a 17-point lead over Rayburn -- meaning under the terms of the contract, Rayburn would have to drop out.

But on Monday, Rayburn manager Mike Hesse said the agreement was "dead in the water," saying the implementation of the poll was "a disaster" as the stated deadline for the poll results wasn't met.

Crank/Rayburn agreement, page 1

Crank/Rayburn agreement, page 2

The Elite Eight is now up in PolitickerCO's Smartest Legislator contest.  Will you cross the aisle and vote for Nancy Spence and Andrew Romanoff? Who will make it to the Final Four?     

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates today is touring Pederson Air Force Base explaining to senior Air Force brass why he forced the resignations of the Air Force chief of staff and the secretary of the Air Force last week, according to KKTV.com.

GodVoter again protests against Romney in the White House. "Christian voters will not accept a potential Mormon White House," they wrote in an email today, "especially given the possibility of age keeping you from seeking a second term. America led by a President who doesn't believe in Jesus, as has happened in the past, is one thing. America led by someone who believes Jesus is Satan's brother is a different matter."

The day after Barack Obama declared that he has clinched the Democratic nomination for president, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall swung his support behind the U.S. Senator from Illinois.

Former acting state treasurer Mark Hillman won today's state convention vote for Republican National Committeeman with 55 percent of the vote.

GOP activist Leondray Gholston finished second with 26 percent of the vote, party officials said; state Sen. Dave Schultheis finished a surprising third with 19 percent of the vote.

A Denver District court ruled Friday that Gov. Bill Ritter's mill-levy freeze was unconstitutional.

Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr won the Libertarian nomination for president Sunday afternoon at the Denver Sheraton.

Barr won on the sixth ballot over longtime Libertarian activist Mary Ruwart.

Libertarian National Convention delegates now have to select a vice-presidential candidate.

"This will be a historic and positive campaign that will succeed," Barr said in his victory speech. "This is a campaign that will win."

GallegosIn a surprising upset, state Rep. Rafael Gallegos (D-Antonio) fell three votes short of making the August primary ballot during the HD-62 Democratic assembly Friday in Colorado Springs.

Rocky White, an Alamosa doctor who has been a leading advocate of a single-payer health care plan, walloped both Gallegos and Ed Vigil in the assembly vote, capturing 32 of the 58 assembly votes. Gallegos won 14 votes; Vigil received 12.

White said the vote was "kind of a surprise."

" I certainly did not expect that to happen," White said.

The DSCC took another swipe at US Senate candidate Bob Schaffer today on the Mariana Islands controversy. In a press release issued today DSCC spokeman Matthew Miller rips Schaffer for allowing "human rights abuses to continue," while the Schaffer campaign manager, Dick Wadhams accused Schaffer opponent, Mark Udall, of being a hypocrite on the Mariana controversy.