Why Did Pete Coors Lose?

DenverPost.com ^ | November 03, 2004 | Karen E. Crummy and Mark P. Couch

[Tall_Texan]

I don't line in Colorado but I can guess that a lot of conservatives were just a little bit troubled by having a candidate who's fortune was made from alcohol - there are a lot of Baptists, Mormons and other teetotalers who would have had to swallow some ideological purity to elect somebody who sold booze for a living.

Secondly, on a personal note, I'm really tired of watching candidates run for and win Senate seats for seemingly no other qualification than having a pile of money. After watching guys like Corzine, Dayton, Cantwell, etc. essentially BUY a Senate seat, I'd have prefered someone who was there because he was an ideologically conservative Republican rather than just a rich one.

[ServesURight]

Coor's is not - a business heir, little more. Folks just didn't buy it.

Yep. Nothing but a rich kid trying to buy a Senate seat. Coors ads are sleazy anyway which turned off the Christian vote (BUT THOSE TWINS MMMM...)

[what's up]

Dobson must not have stumped for him because of he didn't have the anti-gay platform.

(I think Dobson's from Colorado?)

[OldFriend]

Coors had no constituency at all. He won the primary by concentrating on the base and ignoring all the rest.

Schaeffer probably would have won the seat.

[LasVegasMac]

There was something posted awhile back about some real mistrust / hatred of Coors (family, company, etc,) by the minority groups in CO. Was a real eye opener when I read it.

Sorry, can't recall much more than that.

LVM

[JediForce]

Bingo ! I saw that debate...and Coors muffed some key issues...including kerrosim..er now..terrorism.

Perhaps he should have the "twins" with him more.

[colorado tanker]

A few ideas.

Nighthorse Campbell waited too darn long to bail out of his campaign. That left Coors with little time to organize and the best political mind in the state, Dick Wadhams, working for Thune in South Dakota.

None of the state heavyweights like Owens or McInnis would take on the race.

There was a hard fought Republican primary which left many conservatives lukewarm on Coors.

Coors is a newbie and didn't quite have the knack for making a punchy stump speech or scoring in debate.

Salazar had big name recognition from winning two terms as AG.

But Salazar was a stealth candidate, having taken few controversial positions in his runs for AG. He avoided Kerry and it was hard to define him to the voters as a liberal.

Salazar is from rural Colorado where Coors is all metro Denver. We didn't do as well in many rural areas as we usually do.

Coors ran a solid campaign and the race was close, with little ticket splitting, but there was just too much to overcome.

[WoodstockCat]

I didn't see it but I understand he didn't have the strongest Meet the Press performance. I do think the 18 drinking age may have hurt him with the number of kids that end up wrapped around trees anyway.

What was the difference in Rep turnout from the primary?

[A.A. Cunningham]

RINOs didn't vote for Coors and there was some backlash against Coors by pro-infanticide females because of Archbishop Chaputs' correct labeling of Salazar as a CINO.

The electorate in this state is full of idiots who don't understand that in the grand scheme of coalition politics, party trumps person. I hope Ken Salazar and his worthless brother only end up screwing the RINOs and RATs who voted for them.

[Alberta's Child]

When a Democrat makes an issue out of that in a campaign, you know the left is losing the culture war in a big way.

[12 Gauge Mossberg]

I also have a problem with millionaires trying to buy power. Whatever happened to working your way up first? Maybe Coors should have resigned back in the 1990s and first ran for Colorado governor before thinking of buying a Senate seat. Sheesh.

[ElmoMobito]

Coors lost because his name is Coors. I slapped my forehead right after I voted for him in the primary. I thought, darn I bet a bunch of the most conservative church folks will refuse to vote for that name, Coors and we will lose this seat to the democrats. I think that is the traditional Republican vote that he did not get. A comparison of the last Allard vote with this vote in a place like Colorado Springs would prove or disprove my theory. The bad guys also had a strong ad campaign via phone and TV saying Coors would lower the drinking age. The democrats in Colorado carry the same basic trait as other democrats -- they lie, a lot. The lieing ads were probably paid for by Soros.

[OldFriend]

His first proposal was to lower the drinking age.

Sheesh, talk about self serving.

[IStillBelieve]

Uh, because his beer tastes like liquid feces?

Liquid feces? Why wouldn't you just say pi$$?

[12 Gauge Mossberg]

BUT THOSE TWINS MMMM

Maybe Coors should have had them campaign with him.

[Dinsdale]

Liquid feces? You give spoors way too much credit.

BTW puritans should love coors. The stuff is so awfull it will drive you to not drinking.

[BushCountry]

[Castro]

Which is (slightly) amusing because one of the biggest reasons they started supportting GBLT events was due to the gay community's boycott of their products.
Just goes to show what happens when you sell out.

[No-Compromise Conservative]

Coors beer is great for unclogging my drain pipes and protecting my garden from critters.

[A.A. Cunningham]

I do think the 18 drinking age may have hurt him with the number of kids that end up wrapped around trees anyway.

Totally taken out of context by Salazars' media flacks and they exploited the ignorance of the electorate not to notice, same as with his "common man" remarks. Coors said that if 18 year olds are allowed to die for their country in the military then they should be able to come home on leave and buy a beer.