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Ryan Frazier to Switch Campaign from Senate to CD-7

by T.L. James | 10:00 am, October 15, 2009 | 1 Comment

At 10:00am this morning, Ryan Frazier will announce that he is jumping from the Senate race to unseat appointed Democrat Michael “Senator Who?” Bennett into the CD-7 race against Democrat Ed Perlmutter. In a conference call with People’s Press Collective affiliated bloggers on Wednesday, the Frazier campaign confirmed rumors which have been circulating since late September.

When asked why, after spending most of the year campaigning for Senate Frazier has now decided to jump to the Congressional race, the campaign explained that Frazier got into the Senate race because he “wants to serve the people of Colorado”, but now believes the best way he can do this is as a congressman. The decision was not made lightly or “on the fly”, we were told, but has been under consideration for some time – which is consistent with the length of time in which the rumors have been circulating.

The campaign specifically denied that Frazier’s decision had been prompted by recent actions of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in support of the Senate candidacy of former Colorado Lt. Governor Jane Norton. They could not immediately answer the question of whether the NRSC or other entities or individuals had promised support to Frazier in the Congressional race in exchange for the switch, but did promise to release this coming Monday a list of prominent supporters backing the new campaign.

As anyone who has had contact with the new grassroots movements in Colorado this year knows, there is already a GOP candidate running in CD-7, Brian T. Campbell.  The Frazier campaign stated that they look forward to a spirited competition with Campbell and any other GOP contenders who might emerge in CD-7, but aside from a generic assertion that they plan to work with the grassroots too, did not offer specifics on how they plan to deal with Campbell’s new base of support. While Ryan has appeared at many grassroots events as part of his previous Senate campaign, Campbell has been an organizer of several such events and claims to have the support of several thousand Republican, independent, libertarian, and even Democrat activists statewide (not only in CD-7). 

This led to what I believe was the most telling comment of the teleconference. When asked whether the Frazier campaign had considered how the switch would disappoint the grassroots, who seemed to favor him in the Senate race, and how he planned to address the inevitable charges that the switch shows him to be “flaky”  or a “quitter” like Sarah Palin, the campaign representative replied that no, they apparently had not given such disappointments and perceptions much thought, so focused were they on getting the announcement together. To me, that indicates not just a lack of attention to (pretty significant) details, but – astonishingly – the same sort of blindness to how voters and activists perceive the campaign and its actions that the Jane Norton Senate campaign has demonstrated thus far.

Watch PPC for more coverage as the day goes on.

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Category: 2010, Colorado, Colorado Politics, Grassroots
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Comments

  1.   Keith
      October 16th, 2009 @ 2:09 am

    Frazier is just this side of a carpet bagger.

    I especially do not like being treated as an idiot Mr. Frazier, 99.9% of us know why you jumped ship. You jumped ship because you are “in it to win it” until it becomes obvious you can’t win it.

    You are only ‘in it to win it’ until the Republican party tells you they don’t want you to win it… but as second prize they will award you their backing in another race.

    You would have gained much respect and votes if you had truly been in it to win it and told the Republican party to take a hike.

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