‘Flak Bash’: Tancredo skunked, Musgrave loss made even more bitter

It wasn’t such a festive night for two outgoing Colorado Republicans at Wednesday’s swanky Quinn Gillespie & Associates “Flak Bash” party honoring the year’s best political media mavens.

Retiring Rep. Tom Tancredo from Littleton went home empty-handed after throwing his name in the ring as best political campaign flak. But it may have been an especially bittersweet evening for departing U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave.

The winning GOP spokesman? Ken Spain of the National Republican Campaign Committee. You know, the group that publicly abandoned Musgrave’s campaign in late October after spending $700,000 on her re-election and then suddenly pulling $400,000 in reserved ad buys in the waning days of the election cycle to use elsewhere for more competitive races.

And now Musgrave is out of a job and reportedly still has yet to concede the race to her Democratic opponent Betsy Markey or to thank her own campaign staff.

To add insult to injury, Politico’s Shenanigans blog reports that Musgrave spokesman Joe Bretell attended the festivities — referring to him as from “the almost defunct Marilyn Musgrave office.”