Wither EMILY’s List (Part II: State Senate)

Two EMILY’s List endorsed candidates didn’t win their primaries in Colorado.  The question now is whether the list will endorse anyone for Colorado’s general election.  A previous post at Colorado Confidential looked at the federal race prospects, which were bleak.  Today, we turn our attention to state senate races.  Here, Betty Boyd and Gail Schwartz seem like prime candidates.There are a number of Democratic women running for state senate in the general election in Colorado.

Democrat Paula Noonan, who will face conservative Republican Mike Kopp in the 22nd State Senate District in Arapahoe County, is shy on her website about using the abortion or choice words, although she strongly implies that she is pro-choice. 

Moe Keller, in the 20th State Senate District, while Democratic woman in a contested district,  has likewise focused her public persona on bread and butter health care issues, also not mentioning reproductive rights on her campaign website. 

Early Money Is Like Yeast, fits its philosophy of making pro-choice Democratic women running for public office credible. Keely Marrs, running as a moderate Democrat in the Northern Colorado Springs Senate District 9 might not welcome an EMILY’s List endorsement in her race and doesn’t discuss reproductive rights on her website.

Dana Barker running for Senate District 7 in Grand Junction, may appear to have too daunting a task in this conservative stronghold to win support from the List, notwithstanding Bernie Buescher’s success in the same territory and Josh Penry’s apparent fall in grace from the goodwill of the local paper the Daily Sentinel.

Joan Fitz-Gerald, as incumbent Colorado Senate President, doesn’t fit the early money profile.  Paula Sandoval, in Senate District 34 likewise appears safe.

Democrat Betty Boyd, in contrast, is running in her first appeal to the voters in Senate District 21 (Lakewood) after winning a vacancy election last session, has been a leader in the emergency contraception debate in Colorado and is strongly pro-choice, in another hard fought race in a potentially swing district.  She is an obvious Emily’s List choice in the general election.

Gail Schwartz, running in the rural Southern Colorado 5th State Senate District for the first time and boldly pro-choice in her campaign materials, would be another likely Emily’s list choice.

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