Allard to Retire
Written by Sam on January 15th, 2007
DENVER - Colorado Republican Sen. Wayne Allard said Monday he will not run for re-election in 2008 but will honor a pledge he made in 1996 to serve only two terms.
“Today, I’m announcing that I will honor my term limits pledge to the people of Colorado,” he said. Associated Press
This is why I have always felt that the term limits pledge many conservatives made back in the 90s was probably the dumbest thing they ever did. Don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I am all for term limits, but they have to apply to everyone. Many Republicans pledged to serve only for so long, as a stand on principle, but the problem with that is they were the only ones to make that pledge. As a result, we have lost a lot of very good Republicans in the Congress who were succeeded by mediocrity and the fanatical left who believe government service is a life time career.
Allard’s retirement does not help the GOP in 2008. They are going to have to spend a lot more money now in Colorado to defend an open seat in a state that has been trending Democrat. Although 2006 bucked the trend, incumbency is generally an advantage and Allard probably could have won reelection with less resources than what will now be required.
Wayne Allard has been a solid conservative voice in the Senate, receiving a 96% lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union and an A rating in 2005 from the National Taxpayers Union. We can only hope that we get a Senator who will be just as good and can pull across the finish line. One hope could be Bill Owens should he decide to run.
On the Republican side, former congressman Scott McInnis said he will run if Allard and former Gov. Bill Owens don’t.
Owens, a Republican, left office last week after term limits prevented him from running again. McInnis did not immediately return calls Monday.
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But the thing that makes them such good conservatives is in fact the term limits. At least thats one way to look at it.
Bob Schaffer would be a solid replacement. I don’t know much about McInnis but if McInnis and Schaffer both run term limits will be even more of an issue. Schaffer kept his pledge. McInnis didn’t.
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Allard voted against the Term Limits Amendment while in the House of Representatives.
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McInnis is not a conservative.
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It will be a tough race no matter who the Republican candidate for US Senate will be. Congressman Udall (D-CO) has been eying this seat for years and announced last year before his re-election to the Congress that he would be seeking this seat.
He definitely has an early fundraising lead on any potential Republican, but I’d like to see us compete for this seat. The trend in Colorado was terrible for us in 2006. Let’s hope we can change that in 2008 with a field of solid Senatorial candidates.
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I have to this this is def a Leans Dem seat
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The West is Blue.