One More Republican for Ritter

This week’s unveiling of the “El Paso County Republicans for Ritter” was billed as “another demonstration of strong bi-partisan support” – but so far only one of them is willing to be identified by name.

On Thursday night, about 10 GOP activists from the Republican stronghold of El Paso County showed up at a downtown Colorado Springs restaurant to formally throw their support behind Democrat Bill Ritter. Prominent Colorado Springs defense attorney Elvin Gentry agreed to go public with his support, but the others were too gun-shy to make their identities known.“It’s, in a lot of ways, different in a community that is so heavily Republican, for folks to come out and publicly support the Democrat and it will take a little bit of time,” says Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer. “Some of those people are not willing to be public – that’s why we invited the press at the end.”

Republicans elsewhere have not been as bashful in their endorsements for Ritter. Earlier this month, Republican state Rep. Mark Larson from Cortez endorsed Ritter. And, on June 12, the campaign announced a group of high-profile Grand Old Party activists who are on the Ritter team from Larimer County, including: