Former Rep. Bob Beauprez (R-CO-7) filed papers yesterday to again run for governor in Colorado. He left the House to run unsuccessfully for this position in what evolved into the Democratic landslide year of 2006, and now he attempts a comeback. Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) appears vulnerable against what, heretofore, seemed a weak Republican field. A Beauprez entry will change the flow of the campaign.
In 2002, Beauprez claimed a 121-vote victory in the first ever congressional race in what was then Colorado’s new 7th District, located in the Denver suburbs. The seat was drawn to be marginal and the results certainly proved the design. In his first and only re-election, Beauprez notched a 55 percent win.
After the Beauprez announcement, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him quickly ascend to the top of the Republican primary polls. Considering this development, the Colorado gubernatorial campaign becomes more serious.
