Is Joel Hefley a RINO or just an idiot? Or both?
Hefley is very conservative and well respected in the district. And he is not an idiot. His remarks reflect the extreme distaste and frustration that Lamborn has generated among both the GOP establishment and the grassroots.
The sleaze and lies from the Lamborn campaign came to light late in the primary, and he actually lost on election day. The absentee ballots put him over the top. I would guess many who voted for him absentee feel snookered by Lamborn.
I would advise CO-5 Republicans to hold their noses and vote for Lamborn for the sake of keeping the House and insist that GOP House leaders send Lamborn on a two year junket to Bolivia if he wins. Then in two years, CO-5 Republicans can vote him out in the primary.
In any case, the winner of CO-5 is a one termer. The good news is that what's going on in CO-5 is not at all an indicator of a general national trend.