Holtzman's campaign for governor worries some in GOP

They fear party could be hurt if cast in a bad light

Stuart Steers, Rocky Mountain News

Published January 21, 2006 at midnight

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For much of the past week, many local Republicans have been looking at Marc Holtzman's campaign for governor with a sense of dread, asking themselves, "Did he really say that?"

Holtzman has been stirring things up with a vow to lead a "grass-roots revolution" against the Republican establishment in his faceoff with U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez for the party's nomination.

Holtzman is insisting that the party has lost its way and points to the growing influence-peddling scandal in Washington as proof.

He has even made it clear he'll try to link Beauprez, who has not been implicated in the scandal, to congressional leaders now under investigation.

Last week Holtzman went even further, attacking Mayor John Hickenlooper, who Democrats are urging to enter the governor's race.

Holtzman said Hickenlooper leads an administration with a "secular, godless undertone" that wanted to replace the words Merry Christmas with Happy Holidays on the Denver City and County Building.

In another swipe at Beauprez, Holtzman described him as "Hickenlooper light."

All of this has deeply upset many Republicans, who fear Holtzman will damage his party by portraying it as corrupt and out of touch.

"I haven't seen anything like this before," said GOP political consultant Katy Atkinson, who is backing Beauprez. "It's an odd way to run for the Republican nomination, based on Republican bashing."

There is increasing animosity between moderates and conservatives within the Colorado Republican Party, and those divisions grew during the raucous campaign over Referendums C and D last fall.

Holtzman, a leading opponent of the referendums that ease some restraints on state government spending, has been appealing to conservatives by saying they were betrayed by party leaders like Gov. Bill Owens.

Denver pollster Lori Weigel said Holtzman's crusade reminds her of Pat Buchanan's 1992 campaign against President George H.W. Bush. Buchanan attacked Bush for increasing taxes and derided him as "King George." Many political observers believe the attacks harmed Bush, who lost the general election to President Clinton.

"That strikes me as the closest thing I can recall, an attack from the right," Weigel said. "It has parallels to what's happening in Colorado. Conservatives perceive a backpedaling on taxes by the leaders of the party."

Weigel said that even if Beauprez wins the nomination, Holtzman could damage his candidacy.

"If he's willing to go nuclear, it has the potential to hurt Beauprez," Weigel said. "It means the Democrats don't have to spend money attacking the Republican (because another) Republican did it for them."

Holtzman, a wealthy entrepreneur, has so far been able to raise $1.5 million for his campaign, which will allow him to do extensive television advertising.

But Holtzman's strategy is a risky one. He could anger moderate Republicans, who might sit out the general election if he is the nominee.

"To take on the entire establishment and argue there's got to be a shift to new forces and new folks is going to be difficult to accomplish," predicted Denver political analyst Floyd Ciruli. "You're taking on most of the party incumbents. You're talking about senior officeholders and major fundraisers."

Ciruli noted that Republican moderates turned against their party nominees in a handful of legislative races in 2004, helpingthe Democrats to win control of both houses of the legislature.

"You can get a nomination and the individual winning is unacceptable to a large faction of the party," Ciruli said. "That's a problem."

For Holtzman to succeed, Ciruli said, he has to convince Republicans that he's going to be just the tonic the party needs.

"He has to make a credible case that what he's doing isn't damaging the party but, rather, reinvigorating it," Ciruli said.

That is exactly what Holtzman says he is doing.

"Colorado is the only state with a majority Republican voter registration in which the Republicans hold neither house of the state legislature," said Dick Leggitt, spokesman for Holtzman. "We've lost a Senate seat and a House seat under the current leadership. It will be up to the voters to decide if Marc's vision is something they want to embrace."

Rachael Sunbarger, spokeswoman for the Colorado Republican Party, says there already has been a shake-up in the party since the election losses of 2004.

"We have a whole new staff and a new chairman," she said. "We're going in a different direction than we were in 2004."

At least one prominent supporter of Holtzman has jumped ship and endorsed Beauprez. He says the negativity of Holtzman's campaign turned him off.

"What I don't like is anyone causing fragmentation within the party," said Ray Martinez, former mayor of Fort Collins. "Anyone who does that, I'm not behind."

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