Why does John McCain hate Ryan Frazier?

Aurora City Council member Ryan Frazier was touted by the local and national media as an excellent choice to run for the GOP against Democrat Michael Bennet for the U.S. Senate. Then U.S. Sen. John McCain made some phone calls and Frazier’s ambitions were put on hold. This week it’s deja vu all over again.

Ryan Frazier
Ryan Frazier

In September, McCain called former Lt Governor and state McCain presidential campaign supporter Jane Norton and told her to run for Bennet’s seat. She announced she was running and has stacked her donor list and campaign team with McCaininites.

In October, Frazier announced he would be challenging Ed Perlmutter to represent Colorado’s 7th U.S. House district. Local conservative analysts again seemed to like the idea. Frazier was being a good soldier both by stepping aside for Norton and by taking on popular Perlmutter.

Local pollster Floyd Ciruli told the Denver Post that Frazier “could be the first serious Republican challenger Perlmutter has faced since winning his first hard-fought election in 2006.” State politics website Colorado Pols put Frazier’s chances at 15-1.

Then this week John McCain reportedly recruited former Democrat and McCain staffer Lang Sias to run in the 7th District race, against Frazier, who is now the frontrunner for the GOP nomination. Washington Republicans were reportedly giddy with the development, while Republicans here in Colorado are reacting with shock and bewilderment. At his website, Sias writes that he was “Senior Staff member on John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, serving as the National Director of the McCain Veterans’ Organization.”

What is McCain doing meddling so persistently in Colorado politics? And what does he have against popular good soldier and rare black GOP candidate Ryan Frazier?

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