The Old Man
I have voted in every election since Ronald Reagan, including while overseas. I have been an independent voter most of my life — I voted for Ross Perot because I knew George H.W. Bush had made a catastrophic mistake by not finishing the job in Iraq the first time. I was right, and we are still paying for it. I vote conservative. There was a time when that occasionally meant voting Democrat — when there were still conservative Democrats worth voting for.
There aren’t many left. But this Tuesday, June 30th, I am asking every unaffiliated voter in Colorado to walk into a polling place and pull a Democratic primary ballot.
Before you call the doctor, let me explain.
The Democratic Party in Colorado is in the middle of a civil war. On one side you have the Democratic Socialists of America — the DSA — who want to abolish ICE, end private health insurance, kill TABOR, and turn Colorado into a policy laboratory for every idea Bernie Sanders has had since 1987. On the other side you have what used to be called Democrats — people who understand that a paycheck, a mortgage, and a small business are not crimes against humanity.
The socialists are organized, well-funded, and hungry. They just swept three congressional seats in New York four days ago. They are coming for Colorado Tuesday with the same playbook. Unaffiliated voters in Colorado can pull either party’s primary ballot. Walk in and pull the Democratic one.
Here is who you vote for.
U.S. Senate: John Hickenlooper. His opponent Julie Gonzales wants to abolish ICE, eliminate private health insurance, and remove the Senate’s own Democratic leadership. She was a DSA member until 2024 — she didn’t leave because she changed her mind, she left because she was running statewide. Vote Hickenlooper.
Governor: Michael Bennet. Phil Weiser is the progressive machine’s candidate. He wants to overhaul TABOR and install a progressive income tax. Bennet has actually governed. Vote Bennet.
Attorney General: Michael Dougherty. Boulder County’s District Attorney. Actual courtroom experience, which turns out to be a useful quality in the state’s top prosecutor. DSA backs David Seligman. Jena Griswold — also running — claimed she argued before the Supreme Court. She did not. Vote Dougherty.
Secretary of State: Jessie Danielson. DSA opposes her because she voted for Colorado’s anti-BDS law. That is a perfectly good reason to vote for her. Vote Danielson.
For your state legislative races, vote for whoever is NOT endorsed by the Denver DSA. They publish their endorsements publicly at http://www.denverdsa.org/vote . They have done the work of identifying themselves for you, which I appreciate.
November is the real election. The Reagan Democrats didn’t materialize because Ronald Reagan asked nicely. They materialized because the other side went too far. Walk in Tuesday. Pull a Democratic ballot. Stop the socialists in the primary.
The rest takes care of itself in November.
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