Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, Ron Paul fall flat

In a GOP state assembly notable for its spectacular competence there were two exceptions to that rule.

The Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (RMGO) and the Ron Paul campaign teamed up on Saturday to field a slate of national delegate candidates that failed to gain any traction amongst the Republican state delegates.

If anything their united opposition to John McCain may have served to galvanize the GOP in Colorado as the McCain campaign supported a slate of candidates that included a respectable majority of pro-life Christian conservatives who have sometimes enjoyed a rocky relationship with the presumptive Republican nominee for president.

"The Ron Paul people looked like a bunch of 12-step program enrollees, like from Alcoholics Anonymous," said one delegate from Jefferson County. "They don't get high marks for playing nice with people."

And that may have political consequences for both the RMGO and for the politicians that the RMGO habitually support.

"The most surprising thing that happened on Saturday was that Dave Schultheis lost so badly," said one activist from El Paso County about the state rep running for a spot as Republican National Committeeman against former acting state Treasurer Mark Hillman and unknown activist Leondray Gholston.

Schultheis came in third behind Gholston by seven points scoring 19 percent of the vote to Gholston's 26 percent while Hillman polled 55 percent.

"I don't know if Schultheis actively courted the Ron Paul vote," said another El Paso County delegate, "but it's clear that the Ron Paul support hurt him."

Several Paul delegates were seen openly supporting Schultheis for the RNC position. Given Schultheis' ties to the RMGO, it's logical to assume that some of the support Schultheis received from Paulian delegates was the work of the Colorado gun organization.

What is not so clear is how the RMGO support of the Paul slate will translate into some Republican primaries.

In 6-CD state Senator Ted Harvey is a candidate for US Congress who has enjoyed the strong support of the RMGO in the past. Other candidates might use the RMGO support of Paul as an opening to attack Harvey.

Ditto for the 5-CD where freshman US Rep Doug Lamborn is trying to hold off challenges from two GOP upstart candidates, Jeff Crank and Bentley Rayburn. Lamborn has enjoyed very strong support of the RMGO in the past.

For Lamborn, already hurt by a bruising primary in 2006 and a number of missteps since going to Congress, the Paul connection to RMGO might cut the most deeply.

"Lamborn already enjoys strong negatives," said one GOP consultant. "It won't help him if it's shown that he's getting the support of the Ron Paul campaign."

The support of questionable sources, who use questionable tactics has already been an issue that has dogged Lamborn.

In the 2006 GOP primary many voters were outraged by  ads that questioned the conservative credentials of Lamborn's opponent, Jeff Crank.

Those ads were sponsored by independent organizations such as the Colorado Christian Coalition (CCC), who got called on the carpet by the national Christian Coalition organization for interfering in a GOP primary between Christian candidates. The CCC shrugged off the criticism.

It remains to be seen if the RMGO, and their favorite candidates, can shrug off the large chip that rests on their right shoulder in the guise of the Ron Paul campaign.

Let the revolution begin.