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Beauprez, Ritter backers moving on

Alan Gathright, Rocky Mountain News

Published June 3, 2006 at midnight

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Ignoring Marc Holtzman's die-hard vow to fight on, the Bob Beauprez and Bill Ritter camps say they now consider it a two-man race for governor.

But political analyst Eric Sondermann said the Republican Holtzman's refusal to "go quietly into that good night" has to be a nagging millstone for his GOP opponent Beauprez and a private pleasure for Democrat Ritter.

While Ritter would never publicly acknowledge it, Sondermann said, the former Denver district attorney must be relishing the ongoing "internecine Republican warfare."

"Obviously I think the Ritter attitude is the same as the American policy during the Iran-Iraq war: Provide arms to both sides and hope casualties are high all around," Sondermann said.

But Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer said Holtzman's fight to overturn the secretary of state's rejection of his signature petitions and get back on the ballot isn't a factor for their campaign.

"The way we have to approach this is that Marc is not on the ballot," Dreyer said. "We always knew that elections come down to two people at some point."

Ritter, he said, can't help it if he's "emerged as this strong, responsible leader, almost a voice of reason" amid the Republican's relentless intraparty bloodletting.

Beauprez spokesman John Marshall said, "It's within Marc's right and purview to appeal this stuff. But we're looking forward to uniting the party and carrying the Republican banner into the November election."

Beauprez was busy Friday, kicking off a two-day campaign swing on the Western Slope with a barn rally for 200 Mesa County Republicans.

While they have no influence over the Holtzman ballot crusade, Marshall said, "What we can control is staying positive and talking about what matters to Coloradans. We feel pretty good about where things are."

Said Sondermann: "I think Beauprez would like finality here. If this plays out over the course of a couple of weeks, it doesn't have a whole lot of impact. If we're still playing this dance come July 4 weekend that's a different deal.

"Right now Holtzman is doing what is probably predictable, which is not going quietly into that good night."

Given the intense opposition Holtzman has already faced from the GOP leadership - from being successfully sued for campaign-finance violations to facing demands that he call it quits - it may be in character that he not quit now.

"Maybe Marc Holtzman figures the alienation is so complete and so final that he has nothing left to lose," Sondermann said. "I would think Holtzman is feeling very much in the bunker."

The analyst questioned "what Holtzman's endgame is" if he fails to get on the primary ballot, but sticks with his vow to keep fighting through the courts all summer.

"The only remedy a court has to give him is to put him on the ballot. If we get past that time frame then what remedy is there?"

Two-man race?

• Democrat Bill Ritter: His camp says he can't help it if he's "emerged as this strong responsible leader, almost a voice of reason" amid Holtzman's relentless intra-party bloodletting.

• Republican Bob Beauprez: His spokesman says "it's within (Holtzman's) right and purview to appeal this stuff. But we're looking forward to uniting the party . . . into the November election."

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