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GOP 'attack dog' Truebner joins Beauprez campaign

Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 25, 2006 at midnight

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A self-described Republican "attack dog" credited with the GOP's remarkable voter turnout in 2002 has joined Bob Beauprez's gubernatorial campaign.

Steve Truebner, who has worked in politics since graduating from Colorado State University in 1998, says he is working on several facets of the campaign, including turnout.

Truebner, 31, worked for the Republican Governors Association for three years before returning to Colorado earlier this year. He joined the campaign two weeks ago when polls showed Democrat Bill Ritter leading Beauprez by 17 points.

"Truby," as his GOP pals call him, predicts Ritter's lead will fade and disappear once Republicans "unite on the issues."

He claims that Ritter is beholden to the liberal wing of his party and that he and his Democratic "cronies" have a massive secret tax hike planned.

"My focus is to make sure that Republican voters understand that Bill Ritter is a wolf in sheep's clothing," Truebner said.

Ritter spokesman Evan Dryer laughed at the criticism.

"They need to stop referring to sheep," he said. "They have some sort of fixation about sheep."

Beauprez's running mate, Janet Rowland, has been criticized for her comments during a discussion on gay marriage, when she asked whether men should be allowed to marry sheep.

Dreyer said Republicans are making a mistake by trying to portray Ritter as an extremist because of his appeal among GOP and unaffiliated voters.

Republicans have 172,566 more registered voters than Democrats, and Truebner wants to make sure the GOP turns out in force, as it did in 2002. At the time, he was working on Gov. Bill Owens' re-election and was the field general for the GOP's 96-hour voter-turnout effort.

Colorado Republicans accomplished four major goals that year: re-electing Owens; re-electing U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard; electing Beauprez in the new 7th Congressional District; and taking back the state Senate, which Democrats had won in a 2000 shocker.

Meet Steve Truebner

• 1998: Graduates from CSU and goes to work for Bill Owens' gubernatorial campaign

• 1999: Works for transportation ballot measure that becomes T-REX and on George W. Bush's campaign

• 2000: Runs Donetta Davidson's secretary of state race

• 2002: Directs GOP voter turnout effort as part of Owens' re-election effort

• 2003-2005: Political director for Republican Governors Association in Washington, D.C.

• 2006: Manages congressional campaign for Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera; joins Bob Beauprez's gubernatorial campaign