Death of Colorado civil union bill stirs anger, spurs action for November election

Battle ground Colorado
While all 65 seats are up for grabs in the state House, Democrats and LGBT leaders are focusing their time and money on a handful of highly competitive seats — including one in northern Colorado that could be clinched by an out lesbian.

In total, seven races will feature out candidates.

Fighting for a seat in the House are incumbents Reps. Mark Ferrandino — who could become the first openly gay speaker if Democrats take the majority — and Sue Schafer. Newcomers include city councilman Dominick Moreno, teacher Paul Rosenthal and medical researcher Joann Ginal.

Meanwhile, former policy director for Denver’s ACLU chapter Jessie Ulibarri is running to join Sen. Pat Steadman in that chamber. Steadman is also running for re-election.

If all seven are elected, they’ll join Sen. Lucia Guzman and will make one of the largest LGBT caucuses for a state legislature in the nation, said the Victory Fund’s Denis Dison.

The Victory Fund works to recruit and elect LGBT candidates.

“Colorado was already in the Top 10 of most elected LGBT lawmakers,” Dison said. “This November, the state could be in the Top 3.”

All out candidates are Democrats.

“The Democratic Party is committed to reflecting the entire state of Colorado,” a party operative said on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the Democrats plan for November. “We hope there are dozens of different voices at the Capitol. It makes better policy.”

Denver-based Log Cabin Republican board member Michael Carr said he’s glad gay and lesbian Coloradans are running for state office. And over time there will be out members in both parties.

“I think that time is coming,” he said. “That’s part of why Log Cabin exists.

In the meantime, Democrats will assist Ginal to take the open seat in Fort Collins over challenger Bob Morain.

“Ginal has built an extremely strong campaign apparatus — clearing the field of her primary opponent at the nominating assembly with more than 90 percent of the vote,” the Democrat said. “But she will need to raise another $70,000 to win her race.”

And that’s not counting outside money from organizations like The Gill Action Fund, a 501 C4 nonprofit issue advocacy organization.

For seven years, Gill Action, financed by gay Denver philanthropist and activist Tim Gill, has spent millions of dollars across the country and here in Colorado to advance LGBT rights in state races. Targeting anti-gay lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, and replacing them with proponents for equality, Gill and his lieutenants have become professionals.

“Tim Gill might be the biggest factor in the 2012 election that the Average Joe doesn’t know about,” said Republican political annalist Katy Atkinson. “Had the Republicans taken his millions out of the picture (by passing the civil union bill) it would have helped them.”

But Speaker McNulty, the main target of Gill’s November strategy, isn’t worried.

“He’s proven he can buy legislatures around the country,” McNulty said. “But Coloradans don’t like when billionaires buy elections. Voters see right through that.”

In an interview with Out Front Colorado, McNulty went so far as to say he’ll win every seat Team Gill targets.

“I’ll take that bet,” said Trimpa, Gill’s lawyer and one of the architects of the Democrats taking control of Colorado’s legislature in 2004.

McNulty is certain his party has done more for the Colorado economy and that voters will reward him in November. He’s also betting on a down-ballot bump from suburban Colorado voters who reject Obama and his “failed economic policies.”

“We’re a party focused on an agenda of economic development. More Coloradans are employed, we’ve passed two responsible budgets and are a more transparent government,” McNulty said.

And all parties interviewed by Out Front Colorado agree: The civil union bill itself will not be a dominating factor in the November election.

But Democrats and LGBT leaders won’t allow those voters to forget about the last hours of the 2012 General Assembly and what they’re calling an “abuse of power” by McNulty.

They’ll be using “The Bennet Model,” experts agreed, painting a picture of extreme, heavy-handed Republicans to suburban women.

“What these voters hate more than anything is extremist,” Atkinson said.

Post Script
Many political pundits believe it was Ken Buck’s statement comparing gays to alcoholics on a Sunday TV news show that cost him the 2010 election.

Then the Weld County district attorney, Buck had made a series of gaffes along the campaign trail. But it was his Meet The Press debut that broke the proverbial camel’s back.

Almost immediately One Colorado, the Democratic Party and the Bennet campaign issued statements calling Buck “too extreme.”

During that same election cycle One Colorado, still in its first year, manned 67 staff and volunteer shifts to canvass and walk targeted campaigns resulting in 259 volunteer hours, more than 3,400 doors knocked and more than 6,400 phone calls made for candidates, said the organization’s Executive Director Brad Clark.

“There’s a lot at stake in the 2012 elections that will help galvanize our membership. We have to hold the House leaders accountable for what they’ve done — and fight back.”