The two recall races in Colorado have not received a lot of attention in the national media, but they sure will tomorrow.
One of the Democratic State Senators, Senate President John Morse, whose district included part of Colorado Springs, has conceded the race:
UPDATE: Sen. John Morse concedes recall election, vows to "continue to fight" http://t.co/aON6K46CO1 by @kurtisalee #COpolitics
— The Denver Post (@denverpost) September 11, 2013
The Denver Post reports:
Colorado Senate President John Morse thanked and urged fellow lawmakers to continue fighting Tuesday as voters ousted him from office for his support for stricter Colorado gun laws.
“It has been an honor to represent the 11th Senate District,” said Morse, who is the first Colorado lawmaker to be recalled and thrown out of office. “It’s been hugely rewarding.”
With about 86 percent of returns counted in the historic recall election of Democratic Senate President John Morse show 52 percent have voted “yes” and 48 percent “no.”
Morse called the legislative session where he and Democratic colleagues passed stricter new gun laws a successful one.
The second State Senator is trailing as of this writing, although the results are not final yet (update — now final – recall succeeded):
FLASH: State Sen. Angela Giron loses seat in recall election; 56% vote for ouster; 44% against http://t.co/rfxbIMctkT
— The Denver Post (@denverpost) September 11, 2013
Someone we all know and love, and who is from Colorado Springs, is happy:
Army of grass-roots #2A Davids in Colorado defeated deep-pocketed Bloomberg/Biden/Brady gun-grabbing Goliaths. YES! #CORecall
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) September 11, 2013
Let me repeat that and savor: Gun-grabber Colorado State Sen. John Morse CONCEDES in historic grass-roots #CORecall . #2A
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) September 11, 2013
Doing Snoopy Dance to celebrate #recallmorse #CORecall #2A ==> http://t.co/beo3AbrrkS
— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) September 11, 2013
The Democrats lost because of a grassroots effort. Here’s a note over at Daily Kos this morning:
Democrats have run 2,346 of the 2,490 ads aired in the campaign. The Republicans running in the recalls haven’t run a single ad. Now if either Democrat loses this recall, it’ll be further proof for my theory that TV advertising is increasingly irrelevant. But this is a special case—Republican wingnuts don’t need to be told by the TV box that there’s a recall. They’re activated and motivated. It’s lower-performing Democratic voters that need to be educated and mobilized. Thus it follows that every single Republican ad in the race has been negative, but only two of the nine Democratic ads follow suit.
These were Democratic-leaning districts, by the way, as a Democratic consultant noted:
Furious over the Democratic legislature’s passage of universal background checks and ammunition-magazine limits, Colorado Republicans initially sought to recall four Colorado legislators. Only two recalls ultimately qualified for the ballot: against Senator Giron in SD-03 and against Senate President Morse in SD-11. Both districts are Democratic-leaning, but they contain enough Republicans to keep things interesting on Tuesday….
Interesting, indeed.
One more fact for #COrecall reporters. Both districts Obama carried by about 20pts. So yeah… Big $ advantage + voter advantage = loss
— Mark Davin Harris (@markdharris) September 11, 2013
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Comments
Good for Colorado. They briefly considered trying it here in NM and were shot down at every turn.
It’s about time.
I’ve got my fingers crossed that CO is turning that strong purple tinge back to red.
How many stories tomorrow will mention NRA money/influence but fail to note Bloomberg’s cash? More than a few, I think.
Giron is out as well. I guess Bloomberg just found out that his money can’t buy senate seats in Colorado.
confirmed both have been spitted …* GRIN *
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKm5xQyD2vE&feature=related
Yes yes YESSSSSSS!!1111
/channeling harry met sally
It’s lower-performing Democratic voters that need to be educated and mobilized.
Wow … I can’t believe they wrote that.
Before they toned it down it was “lazy, stupid, parasitic Democratic voters,” so it has been washed.
I presume they mean “indoctrinated and mobilized”, not “educated and mobilized”. Educated people don’t vote for gun control.
The best tweet of the night went something like this:
Morse, Giron, Spitzer and Weiner are gone. It’s like God flushed a giant cosmic toilet.
but most of the floaters refuse to go down … heh
Boom baby. I love some good news before bed. G’night all.
Now this is Newsworthy! I’m with Michelle, I’m doing the Peanut’s Schroedinger’s dance too!
I expect more from you, Professor.
The Preferred Narrative lost, therefore these are only local elections with no national significance. Move along, please, nothing to see, and Michael Bloomberg’s next $300K check will be to US Equestrian …
Had the recalls failed, then yes, it would be a national story.
Nice try. This has colossal national significance, mainly because of Progressive efforts. They poured national money and influence behind it and yet were thrashed by a rag-tag grassroots campaign. Ramifications will be felt everywhere.
Okay, next time I’ll put up the flashing “JOKE” sign.
I was making reference to how every time a Republican wins, for example, a special election to fill a House seat, it’s a local election that only has any meaning within that district, but if a Donk wins a special election for a House seat, it’s a national referendum that means that the GOP is doomed to wander the wastes for a generation.
I am delighted that both of those [redacted] got recalled. Breathes there a one of you, though, who doesn’t think that the MFM would be playing this story in a HUGE way if the election (G-d forbid) had gone the other way?
That’s all I was saying. Have a nice day, individually and collectively.
Morse bragged on national TV about not listening to his constituents. Yesterday they made him listen.
This is wonderful news. The left, which outspent the recall with outside money by a two to one margin, whines the consequences won’t amount to much and it is just symbolic. Doesn’t the left deal in symbolism itself? So, while this won’t shift the balance of power in the Colorado legislature it does send a strong message that the people will rise up if you fail to listen to them. And IMO that’s a pretty powerful message.
Hehe…. remember Wisconsin. Seems Dems struggle with recalls whether prosecuting or defending.
>>”Sen. John Morse concedes recall election, vows to “continue to fight””
Good luck with that, you seditious POS. And, oh yes, ‘buh bye.’
Let me suggest the excellent commentary by David Kopel over at Volokh.com. He is a 2nd Amdt legal scholar as well as an expert on CO politics. He has long been a regular participant on the award winning Colorado Inside Out which discusses Colorado politics every week. It was required viewing when my mother was alive, and her favorite was David, partially because he was the only almost conservative, and partially because she knew his father when he served in the legislature (my memory is that he was a Dem representing those blue collar workers in Pueblo yesterday who recalled their Senator so decisively)
I read that one, too. Excellent (and excellently brutal) sum-up of the recall election.
It can be found here, for posterity.
It is a sad day in Colorado when pols who stand up for sensible, logical gun control are successfully recalled by NRA cash infusions and agitated 2nd Amendment obsessives who think that universal background checks and magazine clip limits are a bad idea. After two horrific mass murders, we still haven’t learned.
As a Coloradan from the north Metro area, I was pleasantly surprised by the news this morning that both liberal fascists were cashiered out of the Senate. However, as any conservative knows, just because we tempered the fascists for the next legislative session, they will only be re-loading for the next election in 2014.
We can take some delight in the fact that the other side spent more than $2.3 Million to lose, while the liberty lovers only spent $600K to win big…and that’s money they won’t have for the next round.
Just as interesting to me will be the words and behavior of the legislative branch when January rolls around. With the split now at 18-17 in the Senate instead of 20-15, will the rush to strip our liberties be as blatant or will they work to insert regulatory burdens rather than passing laws (as is the current case in D.C.)? Will the GOP begin to stand up for freedom or continue their slide to Democrat-lite behavior so nobody’s feelings are hurt (such as shown by the national GOP and Ryan Call (CO GOP chair))? And then there’s the House, currently a 36-29 Democrat advantage; how will those members react since most of those Dems are bought and paid for by the NEA and AFT?
As to the Governor’s office, will the Hick kid governor be as quick to say he doesn’t ‘think’ the laws are constitutional as he signs them into laws or will he veto them? Will he stand up against tyranny of the majority when our freedom is threatened again?
I, for one, hope that the Western attitude, which existed when I was growing up here in the 60s and 70s and made this state great, returns to crush the liberal immigrants from CA and NY who’ve destroyed so much since the Roy Romer era…
Hmmm, the Professors PPP article about not printing their poll showing Giron losing big along with this item from the Daily Kos points in this story:
Yet word from my sources in the district has been that Morse is in better shape than Giron. Weird, if accurate.
Glad to know there are so many balanced, clear heads in the Colorado GOP base, there, princepsCO. Your use of terms like “liberal fascists” and seeming omnipresent anxiety of having your “liberties” stripped seem just a smidge overblown. Nay, they sound like the histrionics of an unhinged person. Chillax, read a book outside of the Glenn Beck top 10 list, go for a walk, look at the sky and be thankful to be alive today (especially if you’re on the front range) and try to use reason to combat the paranoid voices in your head. Sensible gun control isn’t fascism, it’s smart.