• Owen Hill

For the past few weeks, the race in Senate District 10 has been quiet. Friday, that quiet ended.

Rep. Larry Liston, who is running for the Senate now that he's term-limited out of the House, was the guest of honor at a fundraiser in Denver that was hosted by a number of state lobbyists. And a number of these lobbyists, say the the campaign of Liston's opponent, Owen Hill, were big-government, pay-to-play liberals.

And as we'll find out, it's not just Liston who the Hill campaign believes has some explaining to do.

The groups represented by these lobbyists include some of the most ardent supporters of big government, liberal causes, and pay-to-play politics, including:

- Planned Parenthood
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
- Trial Lawyers
- Obamacare proponents
- Union bosses

The host committee also includes my favorite of the group, the Director for a special interest group formed to support “the election of Democrats to the office of attorney general in all of the states and territories of the United States.”

Now why would these people want to support a Republican candidate for office? Perhaps it is because he is closely aligned with the big-government agenda? Perhaps because they can trust him to remain silent on issues that are importantant [sic] to conservatives?

Hill has a link to the flier for the event on his website, and from the list of 42 people endorsing the event, he pulled three who have represented the "liberal agenda."

Liston lobbyist/donor Jeff Thormodsgaard – Notable principals/clients and liberal causes include ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Trial Lawyers, Obamacare, and One Colorado (Homosexual Advocacy). See a complete list of Jeff’s clients here.

Liston lobbyist/donor Fofi Mendez – Notable principals/clients include Planned Parenthood, and the ACLU. See a complete list of Fofi’s clients here.

Liston lobbyist/donor Diana Protopapa – Notable principals/clients include the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL Pro-Choice America). See a complete list of Diana’s clients here.

"There are some lobbyists who have some very clear progressive ties that are supporting Larry Liston," says Hill's campaign manager, Jeremy Isaac. "Whatever the merit of their positions aside, it's somewhat of an odd marriage."

But politics does make strange bedfellows, a point that is clearly made when you scan the contributions made by many of the attendees at Liston's fundraiser.

Let's take, for example, Thormodsgaard. In the past, he has donated money to the campaigns of Republicans Rep. Marsha Looper and House Majority Leader Amy Stephens, as well as Democrats Senate Majority Leader John Morse and Sen. Pat Steadman.

Looper and Stephens are locked in a heated primary of their own in House District 19, and it is doubtful that either would appreciate being painted as sympathetic to Planned Parenthood, or the gay-rights organization One Colorado.

"This just shows how desperate my own opponent is," says Liston. "Two years ago, these very people who he is trying to condemn me for, he was taking money from."

While Hill never took money from the three lobbyists he highlights on his website, it appears that he has taken money from some of the people in the past who were at this event: Dan Anglin; Jason Hopfer, who also donated money to Hill's 2010 state Senate opponent, Democrat John Morse; Jenifer Brandeberry; and Julie McKenna, a supporter of Democrats Michael Merrifield and Gov. John Hickenlooper.

"Were there some there [at the fundraiser] that you would be on the same side with, possibly so," says Isaac. "I am not going to say some of them don't lobby for some good causes. But clearly some of the associations ventured quite far to the left."

Why, Issac asks, is someone lobbying for Planned Parenthood supporting a candidate who purports to be pro-life?

"Perhaps," he says, "they see something that we don't."

Does that mean that, perhaps, Planned Parenthood lobbyist Thormodsgaard sees something in Reps. Looper and Stephens as well?

"I'll let them answer for themselves," Issac says. "Every candidate has to answer for the donations that they receive."

Yesterday was the critical day for Senate Bill 2, the bill that would have authorized civil unions in Colorado. With only one day left in the session of the Legislature, the bill had to pass through a final committee, move to the House floor to be debated and voted on. This all had to happen yesterday.

• Ladd Bosworth
• A Denver rally Tuesday for civil unions.

And it didn't. But it wasn't because there wasn't support for the bill. As we detailed briefly, the bill had won support from a number of Republicans. Its sponsor in the Republican-controlled House, Rep. Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver, has stated repeatedly that he had secured the votes to get the bill to the governor's desk.

It died, depending on who you listen to, thanks to the political gamesmanship of either the Republicans or the Democrats, or both.

From the Denver Post:

A bill to allow same-sex couples to form civil unions died on the calendar late Tuesday, taking down with it more than 30 other measures in a dramatic game of political chicken in which no one would blink.

When Republican Speaker Frank McNulty acknowledged there was an impasse and abruptly ended his news conference on the House floor, Coloradans watching in the gallery started chanting: "Shame on you! Shame on you!"

At least five House Republicans supported the measure, meaning if the bill had been debated it would have passed, which is why some observers were so infuriated.

From the Gazette (and, if you want to start your day with some ridiculous hatred, peruse the comments):

Later, Speaker of the House Frank McNulty said the impasse wasn't either side's fault.

"These things happen. It is unfortunate," McNulty said. "But the timing is such that we are not able to work through that impasse."

Ferrandino blamed the Republicans. "They don't want to have the debate," he said.

...

Rep. Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs, blamed Ferrandino for “playing procedural games.”

He blamed Senate Democrats for not sending the civil unions bill until nearly the end of the session and said they could have taken care of the bill much earlier.

“The Democrats are playing politics with this, plain and simple,” Waller said. “They want us to be in this circumstance right now, so they can increase their chances of taking a majority in the House next year.”

From Out Front Colorado:

The announcement that the civil unions bill would not be brought up for a vote was met with boos from supporters sitting in the gallery overlooking the House floor.

“Shame on you!” they chanted.

“All we ask is you guys give us a chance,” a supporter yelled.

The entire gallery was cleared by sergeants after one supporter yelled, “I hope you all die!”

The leading lobbying organization advocating for the bill said the LGBT community will have [to] remember the events of May 8 in November.

“House leadership decided today that it was more important to play politics than do the people’s business. Although a clear majority of Colorado voters support civil unions—and a clear majority of our Representatives agree with them—House leadership killed the bill, proving just how out-of-touch they are with everyday Coloradans,” said executive director of One Colorado Brad Clark. “In November, Colorado voters will not forget that House leadership obstructed the legislative process by killing a bill that was assured passage on the House floor. Because of their decision, Colorado families will be hurt.”

State Bill Colorado has a list of all the bills that became collateral damage last night, such as the bill that would have reduced sentences for certain drug offenses and the DUI bill for marijuana.

• Rep. Mark Ferrandino

Perhaps the civil unions bill could make it to the state House floor in time for a vote before the Legislature adjourns Wednesday, after all.

Senate Bill 2 has survived two committee votes in the Republican-controlled House, with the House Appropriations Committee remaining. But the Denver Post reports that Rep. Cheri Gerou, R-Evergreen and vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, plans to vote in favor of sending SB 2 to the floor of the House.

Gerou's vote, along with full support from Democrats on the committee, would be enough to keep the bill alive. The committee action should come Monday or Tuesday.

To read the Post's latest story, go here.

However, it still has to be debated by the full House before an initial vote can take place. And if that debate doesn't happen by Tuesday, the bill would run out of time and die regardless.

Gov. John Hickenlooper has said he hopes the bill is considered by the full House and will sign it if passed, and the Senate already has approved it.

——————ORIGINAL POST, 4:35 P.M., FRIDAY———————

That Senate Bill 2 has made it this far in the Republican-controlled House is pretty amazing. With two committees down, the bill authorizing civil unions in Colorado now faces its final barrier Tuesday in the House Appropriations Committee.

If it moves out of that committee, it will head to the floor for a vote, where it is expected to pass.

Yesterday, in a closely watched vote in the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. B.J. Nikkel of Loveland broke with her party and voted to move the bill out of committee.

Last year, she voted in that same committee to kill a similar bill.

Next up was Finance, where another single Republican — Rep. Don Beezley of Broomfield — voted in favor of the bill.

Lynn Bartels, of the Denver Post, has a story that foreshadowed Beezley's vote:

Rep. Don Beezley hasn't said how he would vote on the bill, but prior to the session this morning, Beezley walked up to Rep. B.J. Nikkel, R-Loveland, and gave her a big hug.

She cast the deciding vote Thursday that resulted in the House Judiciary Committee passing Senate Bill 2.

"I think B.J. did the greatest thing politically," he said. "She voted her conscience. I thought that was very courageous."

The bill, which was sponsored by House Minority Leader Mark Ferrandino of Denver, however faces its final hurdle Tuesday in the Appropriations Committee before it can make it to the floor.

Is there gonna be another Republican willing to buck the anti-civil union crowd?

Here is the list of members for that committee, if you want to contact them over the weekend and let them know how you feel.

Reps. Marsha Looper and Bob Gardner, both from El Paso County, are clearly opposed to civil unions. Gardner voted against SB 2 in Judiciary, and Looper has publicly called civil unions a grave threat to society.

• Rep. Mark Waller

It feels like we've been down this road before, doesn't it?

The state Senate Democrats look poised to sweep through a bill that would establish civil unions in Colorado, just as they did last year. If that happens, the House Republicans will have their chance to kill the bill in committee, just as they did last year.

There's no reason to think that they won't.

According to Rep. Mark Waller, who represents the Springs' House District 15 and also serves as the House assistant majority leader, as far as his reading of the SB12-002 is concerned, nothing has changed from last year's offering.

Last year, the House Judiciary Committee, on which Waller sits, voted 6-5 to kill the bill. It was a straight party-line vote, with Colorado Springs' Republicans representing half of the no votes.

Reps. Bob Gardner and Mark Barker chair and co-chair the committee.

Waller states that he has no idea if the bill will die in committee this year.

"I would never presume to speak for everybody on the committee," he says. "Maybe somebody changed their mind."

He does add, however, that if the bill comes to his committee with language identical to last year's bill, how he'll vote shouldn't be a surprise: "I cast a 'no' vote on it last year, and I don't think that's changing."

Waller explained his vote to kill the bill last year as a constitutional matter, saying that the civil unions bill was just an attempted end-run around the 2006 state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. It's an argument that he's sticking by this year; he suggests that the path to civil unions lies in the ballot.

"Go get the signatures, and put it on the ballot. If the polling data is where they say it is, they should be able to go get the signatures," Waller says, "and put it on the ballot, because it's at the ballot where this issue has been decided."

This year, he adds that he finds it disingenuous that the Democrats waited until Republicans took control of the House to introduce and push a civil unions bill.

"They waited till Republicans took control of the state House to run this two years in a row. This is a political issue," he says. "It takes focus off what this upcoming election ought to be about: jobs and the economy. It plays right into their hands by making this election about social issues."

The bill has yet to pass out of the Senate.

• photo provided
• Christopher Ibbetson

Yesterday, we reported that political newbie Christopher Ibbetson had announced his candidacy as a Democrat for the open seat in House District 21.

Today, Ibettson dropped out.

(And we thought Gar Graham's campaign in HD 20 was short-lived.)

According to Ibbetson, he was registered to vote as a Democrat in Florida when he moved here in 2005. But since he was in the Army, he never bothered to move his registration here. Leaving the Army in 2011, he registered as a Democrat in the district but not in time to be a candidate.

Though a setback, when we reached him by phone, Ibbetson seemed undaunted, stating that he will just go back to his original plan of running for an at-large seat on the Fountain City Council.

Veronica Bila also expressed interest in running for the seat at the Democrats' county assembly Saturday. Both she and Ibbetson won enough votes from the HD 21 delegates to wind up on a primary ballot. Now, it looks like the district is Bila's for the taking, but she has yet to publicly announce.

• photo provided
• Chris Ibbetson

On Saturday, local Republicans and Democrats met for their county assemblies. As we reported, the Republicans voted a number of candidates onto the primary ballot, with some interesting upsets.

As it turns out, the Democrats will also be having a primary in House District 21.

Veronica Bila and Christopher Ibbetson were both nominated to appear on the June 26 primary ballot in a race to be the Democratic challenger.

The Republicans will have their own primary in that district between newcomer Albert Sweet and former Fountain Councilwoman Lois Landgraf.

Today, we received a press statement from Ibbetson announcing his candidacy. A newcomer as well, he says that he spent six years in the Army and is a licensed EMT.

He hadn't considered running for the House seat, he tells us, until attending Saturday's assembly. When he saw that there wasn't a candidate, he decided to give it a shot.

As for the issues, according to his press release, "Planned Parenthood in House District 21 is my top priority."

No women should ever have to be embarrassed to go to her doctor for birth control because for fear that she won’t get the birth control or that she would have to go through pointless and costly medical procedures to them, and quite frankly, it’s none of our business why anyone sees there doctor unless they plan to tell the rest of the world themselves, that is why the U.S. congress put into law the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in 1996, which is known as HIPAA, to ensure a patient’s privacy.

We will bring you information on Bila as well, once we've made contact with her.

Read Ibbetson's press statement in its entirety:

Chris Ibbetson, is announcing his candidacy for State Representative in District 21, CO. Ibbetson and his fellow Democratic County Delegates have collected signatures from residents House District 21 in support of his primary nomination. Individuals have responded with support and substantial votes more than sufficient to place him on the ballot for the June 2012 primary election.

With over 6 years of military experience, Ibbetson sees the dire need to reserve our freedoms, was given to us by the United States Constitution, by having a simple thing as the right to vote on Election Day. This is 2012 and there is no need for not treating everyone as an equal. We all live in the same state, we all live in the same country, and we all deserve to be treated as equal, no matter what gender, race or sexual orientation that we may have, just equals. He is also a Colorado Licensed EMT.

Chris Ibbetson sees the Planned Parenthood issue as motivations to run for office.

According to Ibbetson, "Planned Parenthood in House District 21 is my top priority." He adds, “No women should ever have to be embarrassed to go to her doctor for birth control because for fear that she won’t get the birth control or that she would have to go through pointless and costly medical procedures to them, and quite frankly, it’s none of our business why anyone sees there doctor unless they plan to tell the rest of the world themselves, that is why the U.S. congress put into law the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act in 1996, which is known as HIPAA, to ensure a patient’s privacy ."

More information about Chris Ibbetson and his campaign can be found on his website, www.facebook.com/vote.ibbetson. This site includes biographical information about Chris and a calendar of upcoming events, as well as his position on many of the important issues affecting House District 21.

• Rep. Larry Liston

Saturday, the El Paso County's Republican delegates will be meeting to "elect candidates to the Primary ballot, vote on resolutions, and energize the proud Republicans of El Paso County!"

Twenty-two hours before this glorious event is set to begin, Owen Hill, candidate for Senate District 10, sent out a press release blasting his opponent over a committee vote.

What happened: a bill (HB12-1309) sponsored by local Reps. Marsha Looper, Mark Barker and Janak Joshi, as well as Sen. Keith King, would have forced employers to run perspective employees through a database to figure out just how "legal" they are:

Under current law, employers are required to examine, and retain records of examining, the legal work status of new employees. The bill enacts the "Colorado Mandatory E-verify Act", which requires all employers in the state, by January 1, 2013, to instead participate in the federal electronic verification program (e-verify program) for purposes of verifying the work eligibility status of all new employees hired by an employer. Employers are subject to fines of up to $5,000 for a first offense and up to $25,000 for a second offense for failing to participate in the e-verify program. For subsequent offenses, an employer is subject to a fine of up to $25,000 and a 6-month suspension of the employer's business licenses.

According to Hill, this equates to sending the bill to the "political graveyard."

However, in an email, Liston countered:

I support E-verify and any responsible measure to reduce illegal immigration. That is why I voted FOR House Bill 1309 in Committee yesterday. As is customary in the General Assembly, committee chairmen can request bills be sent to their committee. Out of respect for Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg, chairman of the House Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources committee, I honored that request, and nothing more. This bill has a direct impact on the oil and gas industry, as well as farmers and ranchers throughout Colorado, and deserves to be heard by a legitimate committee of reference.

From Hill's press release:

Dear Chet,

Just yesterday, we were provided with yet another clear example of why I'm running for Senate District 10. My opponent, Rep. Liston again joined the Democrats in playing political games on the important issue of immigration. While other Republicans had the courage to stand up and fight for what was right, Liston chose to duck for cover and send a good bill to the political graveyard. The bill at stake (HB 1309) is a requirement to check immigration status through an online database before anyone is hired, commonly called e-Verify.

According to Eli Stokols of KDVR, "the deciding vote was cast by the committee's chairman, Rep. Larry Liston."

With more than 2/3 of his campaign contributions coming from special interest groups, Rep. Liston has proven once again that he will not stand up for conservative values if he might lose some support from insiders. For more analysis of how Larry is being bankrolled by lobbyists and special interest groups, watch this video (http://youtu.be/-MncUQUVeA8)

This is the reason I'm running for Senate. Procedural votes matter. Every vote matters. We simply cannot afford to have Republican legislators, who have been bankrolled by special interests, siding with the Democrats to kill good legislation all while scheming for political cover on the final votes.

We need strong leadership taking a stand on the important issues facing our state, protecting the integrity of our American way of life.

Warmly,

Owen

• Rep. Mark Barker

As Lynn Bartels at the Denver Post is reporting, Senate Bill 12-163 would, "reduce the crime of drug possession from a felony to a misdemeanor" for addicts.

During the news conference to unveil the bill, Bartels writes, co-sponsor Sen. Shawn Mitchell, a Republican from Broomfield, said that his younger brother has been dealing an addiction to methamphetamine for years.

For those of you who see the drug war as a colossal, expensive, and dehumanizing failure, and want to see this bill make it into law, there's good news. As Mitchell's co-sponsorship of the bill, along with Denver Democrat Sen. Pat Steadman, should indicate, this bill appears to have broad bipartisan support.

In the House, Springs Republican Rep. Mark Barker is a co-sponsor.

According to the bill language:

The bill reduces the penalty for possession of 4 grams or less of certain drugs from a class 6 felony to a class 1 misdemeanor and reduces the penalty for possession of more than 4 grams of those certain drugs from a class 4 felony to a class 6 felony. The bill appropriates the savings from the reduction in the criminal penalties to substance abuse treatment programs. The department of human services will develop a trauma-informed substance abuse treatment and best practices training program. The bill requires a post-enactment review after two years that addresses the impact of the bill on jails and the amount of funding for jail-based treatment.

One Colorado, "a statewide advocacy organization dedicated to securing and protecting equality and opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Coloradans and their families" is asking its supporters to donate money.

• file photo

The goal is $5,000 before Monday. Why? The money, they say, will be used to launch a legal challenge against a ballot initiative written and pushed by the Springs' own Focus on the Family.

The initiative ostensibly aims to protect religious freedoms in Colorado, as the Denver Post reported on Tuesday:

Focus on the Family will build a coalition to back a constitutional amendment prohibiting state government from interfering with the religious freedom of a person or religious organization.

The draft language states that government may not directly or indirectly burden a person or organization by withholding benefits, assessing penalties or excluding a person or group from government programs or facilities.

The Alliance Defense Fund, a nonprofit Christian advocacy group dedicated to religious liberty, sent the proposed initiative to the Colorado Legislative Council on March 7. The amendment representative named is Tom Minnery, senior vice president of Focus on the Family.

But One Colorado isn't buying it.

The initiative’s language — which focuses on “religious liberty” — is incredibly deceptive. It doesn’t make clear the widespread implications of enacting this law. Implications that don’t just impact LGBT people — but all Coloradans.

Imagine a law that allows a pharmacist to refuse to fill a birth control prescription. A law that permits an employer to refuse to hire people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. A law that gives protection to teachers who refuse to teach sex education or evolution. All for the sake of so-called religious freedom.

You can read more about the initiative, here.

• provided by Owen Hill campaign
• This is what you look like from behind when you shoot guns.

Ever wondered how much fun it would be to go shoot guns with a Republican candidate for state Senate?

You're in luck. From a press release from state Senate District 10 candidate Owen Hill:

If you prefer a little more activity in your political involvement, please come join us for a shoot at Whistling Pines Gun Club We will have many guns available for you to try and pick up some tips on shooting. Have you always wanted to shoot a specific gun? Now is your chance. This event is free for delegates and alternates to the County Assembly and $10 for others.

Lucky delegates.

In the interest of fairness, you can also hang out with Hill's opponent, Rep. Larry Liston, just by heading up to the state Capitol and inviting yourself into his office. You just can't take your guns.

Also, just cause we're talking about it, tomorrow night from 6 to 7, you'll also be able to tune into my nutty Republican buddies up at Grassroots Radio and hear Republican Congressional challenger Robert Blaha explain why he's the best conservative alternative to the 5th CD's incumbent, Doug Lamborn.

Here's Blaha driving around in his car:

Local state Rep. Pete Lee has not been having good luck with committees recently.

Earlier this month, his economic gardening bill died thanks to a party-line vote in a state House committee.

Then Wednesday, his bill to establish a state-managed campaign contribution fund for legislative candidates died a quick death in the State, Military & Veterans Affairs committee.

The bill would have created "a system of public financing of political campaigns for candidates running for a seat in the general assembly. The system is to be administered and enforced by the Colorado citizen-funded campaigns commission (commission). Moneys for campaigns are to be paid from the newly created Colorado citizen-funded campaigns fund (fund) to qualifying candidates who satisfy certain requirements."

According to a press statement from the Democrat:

I hear from Coloradans all the time about how concerned they are about big money and special interests in politics. This bill is a creative approach and one way to start the conversation in addressing these concerns. I look forward to continuing this important conversation in the future.