Hd-23

Michael Johnston’s win in the SD 33 vacancy committee election Monday night is just one of a handful of district party gatherings expected within the next few weeks to choose successors for state lawmakers departing for greener pastures.

It’s as clear as the Western Skies: Nonprofit 501(c)4s are the new 527s of the Colorado political scene, the latest way that shadowy special interest groups are tapping into seemingly unlimited undisclosed special interest cash to attack or support candidates who can further their agendas. Take, for instance, the Western Skies Coalition, a conservative group claiming to be a 501(c)4 nonprofit dedicated to “promoting issues that make our nation great.”

Recent push polls run by Houston-based Promark Research against Democratic Rep. Bernie Buescher are not the company’s first foray into Colorado politics.  Back in 2004, Promark Reasearch was employed to sling the mud against Democrat Gwen Green of Golden.

In the July 30, 2004 Denver Post, columnist Diana Carman shined light on the “research” Promark was [...]

The Rocky Mountain News today reports of the upcoming battle in House District 23 between Dem Rep. Gwen Green and her Republican challenger Ramey Johnson, and how support for public education will be a main issue when voters head to the polls in November.

There are 65 seats for state representatives in Colorado, and all of them are on the ballot every two years. Of course, not all 65 races are equal in importance every two years, because some districts are overwhelmingly Republican or Democrat in their voter registration, and some districts have a firmly-entrenched incumbent already in place. [...]

School vouchers are still a hot topic in some Republican circles in Colorado, particularly in one Jefferson County race where education issues have always been a top priority.

The vouchers issue probably single-handedly killed the campaign of Republican Ramey Johnson in House District 23 (Lakewood and Golden) in 2004. Johnson was the incumbent state representative at the time, and after a tough challenge from Democrat Gwyn Green, she ended up losing by just a few dozen votes when the final ballots were meticulously counted weeks after the election.