IN OUR OPINION: Colorado Secretary of State Selection November 2008
The Election is Not Over
At least not in Colorado. Colorado is in need of a Secretary of State because the current Secretary of State, Republican Mike Coffman, is going to Congress.
The law of succession states that the Governor of Colorado is responsible for appointing someone to fill the vacancy.
The politics of succession is that the Governor is a Democrat and the resigning Secretary of State is a Republican. It is customary to appoint as a replacement for such a vacancy a person of the same party as the Governor. The Denver Post reports that this custom is validated by the the Republican Party Chairman, Dick Wadhams, who has stated that he would not be critical of the Governor for appointing a Democrat. The Governor’s selection in this case is made easy by the fact that Mike Coffman narrowly defeated State Senator Ken Gordon, a Democrat, in 2006. Senator Gordon has at least 748,532 personal references:
Secretary of State Candidate
Political Party
Popular Vote
Mike Coffman
Republican
772,403
50.78%
Ken Gordon
Democratic
748,532
49.22%
Mike Coffman benefitted from the disastrous 2006 election when Senator Gordon led Coffman 70% to 30% in Denver County. The lines to vote during this mid-term election were so long that voters were discouraged by the wait. Many also were discouraged by Republican operatives who intentionally misinformed voters that their votes would not count if they were not inside the building by the time the polls closed.
While in office as Secretary of State, Mike Coffman continued the tradition of voter repression by the Republican party when he intentionally violated the Federal law which prohibits purging voter registrations within 90 days before an election. To read more about the Republican Party’s concerted effort to repress votes, go here.
Unlike Mike Coffman, Senator Gordon is still interested in becoming Secretary of State.
Governor Ritter has a unique opportunity in politics: He can appoint a replacement who has already garnered the support of 49.22% of the electorate’s confidence. Ken Gordon would then have two years to prove he is capable of performing the job.
From a purely political point of view, one need only look to 2004 when now-Senator Ken Salazar resigned as Colorado Attorney General. Republican Governor Bill Owens appointed John Suthers, a Republican, to replace him. In the 2006 election, Suthers won the position in an otherwise Democratic year.
If you agree that Senator Ken Gordon should be appointed as Colorado’s Secretary of State, contact the Governor’s office and share your opinion with Governor Ritter.
December 11, 2008 Update: All three current candidates for Colorado Secretary of State are dedicated, capable public servants. We at Imagine A Great Election continue to endorse Ken Gordon because he has demonstrated his commitment to this position.