Tag: Dick Wadhams

Before Republican Realtor Tom Stone rode into town in 1998, Eagle County was a largely nonpartisan place, leaning more to the right, but a difficult place to tell the Dems and the members of the GOP apart.

Former Eagle County Commissioner Tom Stone announced Friday morning he plans to challenge Dick Wadhams in next month's election for chairman of the Colorado Republican Party. Running on a platform to modernize the state GOP and "work smarter and not just harder," Stone unveiled a campaign Web site with a manifesto proposing to update the party's message "while not changing our principles."

Members of the Colorado delegation issued the following statements in response to President Barack Obama's speech before Congress Tuesday night. They'll be updated in the order they're received. So far, we have responses (in this order) from Rep. Jared Polis, Sen. Mark Udall, Reps. John Salazar, Ed Perlmutter, Mike Coffman, GOP state chairman Dick Wadhams, Rep. Betsy Markey, Sen. Michael Bennet and Rep. Doug Lamborn.

And then there was none. Sen. Judd Gregg withdrew his name Thursday from the apparently haunted cabinet position at the Commerce Dept. See the state ethics probe that derailed his predecessor nominee Bill Richardson. Gregg cited the coming decennial U.S. Census, as one example, of irreconcilable disagreement with President Barack Obama. The census? Huh? The brewing oversight fight on the 2010 national head count promises high political drama. You think Dick Wadhams is just sticking around here for the fresh mountain air?

State GOP chairman Dick Wadhams sits down and opens up on a wide range of political topics in an illuminating interview with The Colorado Statesman editor Jody Hope Strogoff and reporter Jason Kosena, who was The Colorado Independent's chief political reporter through the 2008 election. Unlike his ubiquitous -- sometimes vulgar -- sound bites issued during the heat of the campaign, Wadhams sounds positively relaxed and introspective as he discusses the future of the Republican Party in Colorado, prospects for retaking the legislature and statewide seats, and even whether Marilyn Musgrave should have called to concede to Betsy Markey after losing her 4th District seat in Congress (short answer: yes).

The political Web site, Stateline.com, predicts the likelihood of a Republican renaissance in governors' mansions across the nation as the next big opportunity for voters to punish politicians for a tanking economy and crumbling quality of life. But Colorado Republican Party chairman Dick Wadhams shouldn't break out the noisemakers or "Boulder liberal" epithets just yet.

The two candidates for Republican National Committee chairman endorsed by Colorado RNC members are vying for last place after three rounds of balloting, Dave Weigel reports on our sister site The Washington Independent. Colorado GOP chairman Dick Wadhams has publicly backed Michigan GOP chairman Saul Anuzis and RNC committeeman Mark Hillman threw in with former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, but the rest of the RNC seem to be favoring the other three candidates for the top party post.

The battle for the future of the Republican Party is underway in Washington, D.C., where the Republican National Committee is gathering this weekend to elect a chairman (all the candidates are men). Follow the action with David Weigel's live coverage at our sister site The Washington Independent. Colorado GOP chairman Dick Wadhams this week endorsed Michigan GOP chairman Saul Anuzis, who was nominated moments ago for the national top spot. Here's the case Wadhams makes:

Has the U.S. House of Representatives Republican leadership unveiled an important lesson for their Colorado counterparts to mend some local political fences? Dick Wadhams, is it time to take Gov. Bill Ritter out for coffee and a truce?

So it didn’t turn out to be as exciting a year for Republicans as Colorado GOP Chairman Dick Wadhams had hoped — and even predicted — last year. But hey, at least there’s a little money in the bank. That’s more than a mite better than being a half million in the hole and on the losing side of the election ticker.