Organizing efforts for Republican presidential candidates has been slow in the Durango area after the state party eliminated a preference poll for the March caucus.
Local GOP leaders and volunteers for presidential campaigns say they have not seen the same energy that has been displayed leading up to previous presidential elections. “It discourages people from getting involved,” said Travis Oliger, chairman of the La Plata County Republican Central Committee.
The state party last summer voted to do away with a vote for a Republican candidate for president at the March 1 caucus after the national party required a state’s delegates to back the candidate that prevails in the caucus vote. Political observers widely believe that the decision eroded Colorado’s strength in influencing the GOP’s nominating process.
Usually at caucus meetings, party members stump for candidates and then elect delegates to select candidates at nominating conventions. Voters had until Jan. 4 to register with a party to participate in the March 1 caucus.
While Republicans will hold caucus meetings, they will simply select delegates for the national convention. Delegates will not pledge to any one candidate. That leaves delegates free to support any candidate at the Cleveland convention in July.
The scenario could, however, offer Colorado Republican delegates a bit of strength at the national convention, given the uncertainty of the crowded GOP presidential field.
If no candidate emerges as a winner, then the unchained delegates would become key in swinging the outcome at a so-called “brokered convention.”
In contrast, Democrats will hold a “straw poll,” in which delegates will pledge to a specific candidate after the caucus process. The Colorado Democratic Party has seen a surge of energy in recent weeks around the two front-runner candidates, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
Both Sanders and Clinton have held rallies and organizing meetings in Colorado. Republican candidates, however, have been less motivated to plan events in the state.
There have only been a handful of public visits from GOP candidates in Colorado, including an event with Ben Carson in Durango following the August Gold King Mine spill, and a town hall meeting with Jeb Bush in August in Englewood.
Adding to the challenge of energizing Republicans is a malaise with politics in general, something that has split the party between establishment candidates – such as Bush and Marco Rubio – and those who perceive themselves to be on the outside, such as Carson, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump.
“People are turned off by the whole process,” Oliger said. “It’s more of a wait-and-see approach at this point.”
If fundraising is any indication, the outside establishment candidates appear to be leading in Colorado. Carson leads with $340,541 raised in Colorado, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. He raised $5,097 in the La Plata County region.
His campaign, however, hit a bit of turmoil on Thursday, with news that Campaign Manager Barry Bennett and Communications Director Doug Watts resigned amid the one-time leading candidate’s falling poll numbers.
Cruz comes in second statewide, raising $225,266. He raised $2,881 in the La Plata County region. Bush follows with $186,550 raised statewide, with no contributions coming from the La Plata area.
Of the remaining candidates:
Carly Fiorina raised $114,210 statewide, including $600 from the La Plata County area.
Rubio comes in fifth with $110,641 statewide, including $1,125 from the La Plata region.
Rand Paul raised $79,769 statewide, including $500 locally.
Trump raised $29,119 statewide, with no contributions from the La Plata region.
John Kasich reported $16,375 statewide, with nothing from La Plata.
Mike Huckabee raised $15,951 statewide, with $300 from the La Plata area.
Rick Santorum raised $15,800 statewide, with no donations locally.
Chris Christie comes in last at $11,830 statewide, with nothing from La Plata.
Political observers are eagerly awaiting fourth-quarter financial disclosures, which are expected this month.
As of a November Colorado poll by Quinnipiac University, Carson led with 25 percent of the Republican vote. Trailing Carson were Rubio with 19 percent; Trump with 17 percent and Cruz with 14 percent. It’s believed that those numbers have changed since November.
Volunteers for Republican candidates in the La Plata County area agree that it has been difficult to motivate voters.
“The issue that we have to overcome is that, as his numbers have slipped a little bit, people almost feel as if they should be looking elsewhere,” said Tory Aggeler, a Carson volunteer from Durango. “There’s a lot of people who would love to see him move forward and rise to the top ... but it’s a wait-and-see approach. So, that’s frustrating.”
Cruz volunteer Chris Bernard, from Bayfield, worries that party leaders might use the nominating process to coerce support for an establishment candidate.
“I’m just about fed up with the GOP,” Bernard said.
“If they end up throwing a stupid establishment candidate again, I’m done with them completely.”
pmarcus@durangoherald.com
