Wadhams at GOP assembly: Democrats want to turn U.S. into Europe

LOVELAND– The state GOP assembly is underway here at the Budweiser Events Center and state Party Chairman Dick Wadhams kicked it off with a crowd-pleasing bang, zinging Democrats running for office in the state with nicknames and broad-stroking them as Europe lovers:

Dick Wadhams

“Accidental senator Michael Bennet and Denver Mayor John Hickenritter want to make us like Europe. We won’t stand for that. Hear me clearly, Mayor Hickenritter, Senator Bennet, Representative Betsy Markey, Representative John Salazar—you will not make the Unites States of America just another part of Europe.”

In news from Friday‘s district assembly here, state Rep. Cory Gardner was the sole candidate of three GOP challengers to win enough votes to reach the primary ballot. The GOP race to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Betsy Markey has already stretched for more than a year. Loveland local Dean Madere received 20 percent of the delegate vote Friday and CU Regent Tom Lucero, who entered the race first, declaring mere months after Markey won her seat in November 2008, drew only 19 percent support. Candidates needed to win at least 30 percent of delegates to qualify for the August 10 ballot. Gardner now faces Markey alone.

Scot Kersgaard has been managing editor of a political newspaper, editor and co-owner of a ski town newspaper, executive editor of eight high-tech magazines (where he worked with current Apple CEO Tim Cook), deputy press secretary to a U.S. Senator, and an outdoors columnist at the Rocky Mountain News. He has an English degree from the University of Washington. He was awarded a fellowship to study internet journalism at the University of Maryland's Knight Center for Specialized Journalism. He was student body president in college. He spends his free time hiking and skiing.

Comments are closed.