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DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- Republican former Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell said Tuesday he will not run for Colorado governor this year, accusing conservative Republicans of driving away good candidates. "You can't be held to a strict ideological code that you can't do anything about," said Campbell, 72, a former Democrat who was the only American Indian in the Senate from 1992 to 2004. "What they want is absolute obedience," said Campbell, who became a Republican in 1995. He refused to name the GOP leaders. Campbell had mentioned running for governor as early as September 2004, after announcing he would not...

PASCAGOULA -- Sitting dockside at Northrop Grumman Ship Systems' Ingalls shipyard, the amphibious transport dock ship Mesa Verde towered above the crowd assembled for its christening and the nearby Aegis destroyer Kidd. "It looks like a mesa in the water," Peter Pino, Zia Pueblo tribal administrator, said after the ceremony. "Because of the size and the shape of it, if you took it out into the desert and put it out there in the middle of the desert, it's certainly big enough to pass for a mesa. It's true to its name." Pino represented 24 Pueblo tribes affiliated with the...

Pres. Bush and Sen. Campbell take a moment to discuss upcoming debates with Chief Wandering Frog

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) Thank you all. Please be seated. Welcome to the White House. Laura and I are so honored that you're here, and we're honored to be with you. This week, during one of the largest gatherings of American Indians in our nation's history, we celebrate the legacy of the first people to call this land home. And we celebrate the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian, a unique and beautiful place that will introduce generations of visitors to a strong and living tradition. (Applause.) That museum is a long time...

Many reports say that Retiring moderate Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell is considering a run for Governor in Colorado in 2006. Interesting ...

As I was driving home a bit ago from Wednesday night church, I turned on Savage. He was on a rant about ridding ourselves of the RINO Republicans who had back-stabbed social conservatives on the Federal Marriage Amendment. The names are: McCain (AZ), Snowe (ME), Chaffee (RI), Campbell (CO), Sununu (NH), Collins (ME) It is very clear that McCain and Campbell stabbed conservatives in the back. They are under no pressure in their states to be "more liberal." They simply chose to side with gays over their own party. The answer is as Michael Savage says. We must get rid...

O.K. FREEPERS, Here's the list of the six (6)GOP Senators who voted with the Dim-o-rats AGAINST the Family Marriage Act today: Campbell (CO), Chafee (RI), Collins (ME), McCain (AZ), Snowe (ME), and one that was somewhat of a shocker for me, Sununu (NH).

Before the dust had settled on Manhattan in September 2001, our nation's collective resolve seemed decided: We would find and hold accountable those who used our nation's freedoms to kill thousands of us. It was hard to find American flags to fly after that day. Like Pearl Harbor, Sept. 11 steeled our resolve to defend America - but for some, only temporarily. Some in America now seem to have forgotten we are at war. In an age of near-instant gratification of every need, I suppose you could blame that erosion of resolve on our short attention span. In this presidential...

Schaffer, Salazar in, Norton out.

DENVER - Former Rep. Bob Schaffer on Friday became the first Republican candidate in the race to replace retiring GOP Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell. Schaffer made the announcement just hours after Reps. Scott McInnis and Tom Tancredo joined a growing list of Republicans who declined to run. Schaffer said a formal announcement would come next week. "I've filed and I have an organization that I've put together, an exploratory team and a team that is getting larger," he said. "I see nothing that discourages me." Schaffer was elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 and served three terms, stepping...

A sure thing slips away for the GOP By Jim Spencer Denver Post Columnist If Bob Beauprez is the answer, what is the question? Try this: How does a political party with a stranglehold on a state's congressional delegation lose its grip in little more than a week? Colorado's Republicans are now reeling worse than the state's Democrats were nine days ago in the race for the U.S. Senate. Way back on March 2, Democrats could do no better than a rich sacrificial lamb, computer software millionaire Rutt Bridges, and some less-well-endowed candidates - school administrator Mike Miles and Denver...

DENVER (News 4) Gov. Bill Owens will not running for U.S. Senate, News 4 reports. News 4 has confirmed that Owens will make the announcement at 1 p.m. Watch his announcement live on the home page of news4colorado.com at that time. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, 70, said last week that he would not seek re-election to a third term in a surprise announcement that came after two hospital visits for stress-related heartburn. Owens won re-election in 2002 with 65 percent of the vote and has been mentioned as a possible cabinet member in a second Bush administration and even as...

Owens needs reality check for Senate run By Jim Spencer Denver Post Columnist As he decides whether to run for the United States Senate to replace Republican Ben Nighthorse Campbell, here are four words of advice for Colorado Gov. Bill Owens: Focus on the family. The governor remains separated from his wife. "There has been no change in their status since the announcement was made in September," Owens' press secretary Dan Hopkins said Wednesday afternoon. A couple of hours earlier, Ted Halaby, the chairman of the Colorado Republican Committee, tried to say that doesn't matter. "I don't think the separation...

<p>Citing his health, Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell announced Wednesday he will not seek a third term this fall.</p> <p>"After a great deal of soul searching and reflection I have decided not to seek re-election," the Republican senator said in a statement. "I feel the time has come to pass that duty on to another and return to my ranch with my family that I love."</p>

Campbell won't see re-election By The Associated Press Citing his health, Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado announced today that he will not seek a third term this fall. "After a great deal of soul searching and reflection I have decided not to seek re-election," Campbell said in a statement. "I feel the time has come to pass that duty on to another and return to my ranch with my family that I love." Campbell, 70, has faced questions about his health since last year, when he acknowledged undergoing treatments for prostate cancer. Last week, he was examined in a...

DENVER (AP) - Forecasting a tight presidential contest in Colorado, Gov. Bill Owens and other state GOP leaders said Saturday they will focus on promoting their view that President Bush is the country's best leader during difficult times. Owens will serve as the campaign's Colorado chairman, campaign officials said Saturday. Co-chairs include Sens. Wayne Allard and Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Lt. Gov. Jane Norton. Bush defeated Democratic Vice President Al Gore in Colorado in the 2000 presidential election by 51 percent to 42 percent, continuing a GOP tradition. Only twice since 1952 has Colorado supported a Democrat for president, including...

<p>Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell has referred a potentially criminal salary-kickback scheme discovered in his office to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics for a full investigation.</p> <p>The Colorado Republican recently discovered that his chief of staff, Ginnie Kontnik, admitted giving a staffer, Brian D. Thompson, a substantial raise in October 2002 so that he could give her $2,000 in return.</p>

WASHINGTON - If Gary Hart jumps into Colorado's Senate race this year, the former senator would be doing so only to "lay the groundwork" for a presidential run in 2008, incumbent Ben Nighthorse Campbell said Wednesday. "The presidential aspirations are still there," said Campbell, R-Ignacio. "I would think he might see it as a steppingstone again." Hart, expected to decide this week whether to run, declined, through a spokeswoman, to respond. Hart, a Democrat, was elected to the Senate in 1974 and served two terms. He ran for president in 1984 but lost the nomination to Vice President Walter Mondale....

<p>WASHINGTON - Former Colorado Sen. Gary Hart is seriously considering a challenge to Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, according to party sources.</p> <p>The two-term senator and two-time presidential candidate recently discussed a possible bid with national and state party leaders who are urging him to jump in, said Democratic sources in Washington and Colorado who requested anonymity.</p>

WASHINGTON - As the new year dawns, the dynamics of the race for one of Colorado's U.S. Senate seats remain far from clear, with experts saying it's too soon to rule out a heated battle. U.S. Rep. Mark Udall's decision to opt out of the race has turned the spotlight on former Sen. Gary Hart and two political newcomers who have officially filed, Brad Freedberg and Mike Miles, all Democrats. Hart, who briefly considered running for president, has been urged by national Democrats to take on incumbent Republican Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell. But he deferred to Udall. Now, he has...