Holtzman might try to petition way onto ballot
Skipping convention is one option for governor hopeful
Jody Berger, Rocky Mountain News
Published April 21, 2006 at midnight
Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Holtzman came closer Thursday to backing out of the party's upcoming state convention when his campaign filed paperwork to petition his way onto the primary ballot.
"We haven't made a decision, but to preserve our options we're going to go ahead and get the Secretary of State to certify (the petitions)," said Holtzman campaign manager Dick Leggitt.
Holtzman questioned the integrity of the convention voting process in a letter this week to the state Republican Party chairman.
In the letter, Holtzman made 10 requests, including voting machines and private voting, that he said would ensure fairness at the convention. Both Bob Beauprez, his Republican opponent, and the state Republican Party agreed to the requests.
Hans Gulickson, executive director of the Republican Party, then put the procedures in writing and sent out a five-page memo Thursday detailing the process. Gulickson asked both campaigns to accept the procedures or send him any proposed changes.
Beauprez's campaign quickly OK'd the procedures.
Holtzman's campaign said he still isn't comfortable with the way ballots would be distributed.
"We are very interested in a number of the proposals," Leggitt said. "We are reviewing the proposals, but we're going to take our time and do it right."
It's an important decision for Holtzman.
To get on the Aug. 8 primary ballot at the convention, he would need to receive at least 30 percent of the delegates' votes.
If Holtzman didn't get that many, he could still petition onto the ballot, unless he receives less than 10 percent of the votes.
In that case, his campaign would be over.
If Holtzman opts out of the convention and collects 10,500 valid signatures instead, he sidesteps the risk and earns a spot on the ballot anyway.
Both sides say they'd prefer to come to a resolution so both candidates can meet May 20 at the convention in Colorado Springs.
"We would love them to come to the state convention," said Beauprez's campaign manager, John Marshall.
"An open, honest and spirited contest is a positive thing for the party."
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