By TCS Publisher and Editor in Chief Jared Wright _@JaredWright_

Friday, February 26, 2016

DENVER – Happy Friday! Easing you into your weekend of … more work, campaigning, selling (seriously give yourself that one day of rest — it’s how we’re built). How ’bout some debate recap!

“You may have seen I recently launched a Snapchat account. I love it. I love it. Those messages disappear all by themselves.” — Hillary Clinton

Now your substrata feed straight from the politics pipeline:

Camera’s don’t lie — A three person race makes for a great television debate crop. A two person race … even better. Last night, the CNN cameras at the University of Houston spent most of their time vacillating between two-crops with Marco Rubio and Donald Trump or Ted Cruz and Trump to crops of all three candidates — with Trump dead center, like a grandfather with two grandkids fighting for his attention, while parent Wolf Blitzer tried to maintain some semblance of decorum. “The only governor left in the race” (an apparent dying-breed for the presidency) was delegated to the left corner, receiving very little proportionate screen time, while the neurosurgeon begged for someone to attack him.  Who won the 10th GOP tiff? — Washington really, really wants to believe that Rubio took the cake. And they wouldn’t be wrong that it was by far his best debate performance. He finally took the gloves off and bullied the bully. Most of the time, Cruz came off too sophisticated — like a 18th Century British Parliamentarian arguing in a 21st Century boardroom. Others said he sounded like a scolding nanny … or that weird guy on the office, what’s his name, Kevin?

The people … (and the automated voting bots) — Trump, Trump, Trump

Pretty much … Trump.

Watch the full slug-fest here.

Data-driven speculation — Will the “SEC primary” knock Trump off his stride — truthfully … it’s kinda sorta the establishment’s last chance … so here is some math — from the Washington Post

Nutshell: Trump delegates – current 82 = 246 needed to stay on pace toward 1,237 win.

Exclusive: Ulibarri not seeking re-election to SD-21, Moreno to run for his seat — State Rep. Dominick Moreno and Sen. Jessie Ulibarri told the Statesman in an exclusive interview that Ulibarri will not be seeking re-election to Senate District 21, instead taking a full-time vice president position with Wellstone Action at the end of his term this year. Moreno will be seeking election to the vacant seat and has been endorsed by Ulibarri.

Read the full story by Statesman Capitol Bureau Chief John Tomasic here. 

Sen. Jessie Ulibarri and Rep. Dominick Moreno

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are spending big money in CO right now — The two candidates are spending a lot of money on advertising in Colorado leading up to Super Tuesday — specifically with TV and radio stations.

As of Tuesday, Sanders has spent $1,605,799 on TV ads and Clinton has spent $748,197

Read the full report from CPR here.

Sanders gets another negative taste of being on the national stage — Bernie Sanders had a scare yesterday on stage in Chicago, with a U.S. Secret Service agent rushing to his side. Seriously, who wants to do this job in 21st Century America? Check out the full video here.

Floyd Ciruli: Don’t hold your breath for Sanders on Super Tuesday — “Super-Tuesday is not a delegate-rich environment for Bernie Sanders,” according to Denver-based pollster and political analyst Floyd Ciruli. Read his full blog post here.

While Super Tuesday does not hold a high number of SEC states that will be hospitable to Sanders, to the west, Colorado is high on his targeted win list, if for no other reason, because Barack Obama won the state in 2008.

Lots of Libertarian Partiers dreaming of the White House in their elderly parent’s basements — That’s right … LOTS. From a news release:

“The Libertarian Party of Mississippi is hosting the first Libertarian Presidential debate featuring 11 of the 12 announced candidates!” 

12 candidates!? The first debate is tomorrow, 2/27. Just when you thought the field had narrowed, folks (joking … can’t believe I have to tell you that).

And … and, they put together a “neato” video too: Check it out here.

Want to kill some Saturday hours watching their debate live?: Click here.

Not a rally … a news conference — Yesterday, Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock meandered from their respective offices, guards in tow, to a centrally located news conference in Civic Center Park to be joined by a number of state reps, city councilpersons, former U.S. Sen. and Interior SecretaryKen Salazar and former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb. The purpose? A powerbroker-rich news conference in support of Hillary Clinton. This, just one day after a big rally for Bernie Sanders by other legislators on the Capitol steps.

The group called Hillary the most qualified candidate in the field. Some members of the media joked at the event that the turnout was abysmal compared to the prior day’s Bernie rally. But, let’s be fair, this event was pegged as a “news conference,” not a rally. Read the full report see some great photos and watch the video, here.  Stapleton speaks to business group … remains on speculated slow burn to launch for the governorship, 2018 — Treasurer Walker Stapleton spoke in Centennial to the Opportunity Coalition last night on a number of fiscal topics, including his signature one, PERA, and its state of what he says is continued instability. Stapleton said it is “incredibly disingenuous” to promise young workers great returns from PERA and that group-wide sacrifices will need to be made to correct PERA’s course. Many on Denver’s Capitol Hill continue to speculate Stapleton will be the GOP’s candidate to beat in 2018 for governor — very possibly facing Ken Salazar or U.S. Rep, Ed Perlmutter in the general election. In a mid-term year, with a perhaps less-angry/energized voter base satiated by a Trump presidency, such an environment may bode well for a Stapleton candidacy … lots of speculation here, of course. That speculation aside, Stapleton stuck close to his state treasurer duties last night, never noticeably straying into striking the air of a gubernatorial candidate. You never know. More coverage to come in The Statesman on Stapleton’s presentation last night. 

State Treasurer Walker Stapleton speaking at Opportunity Coalition last night. (Photo by Ernest Luning/The Colorado Statesman)

Colorado’s proposed ballot initiatives top 100 for 2016 — Brownstein Hyatt Farber and Schreck shareholder Jason Dunn pointed out in a report that over 100 ballot initiatives have been filed for the November 2016 election as of earlier this month. One hundred and twelve as of Feb. 22 have been filed with the state a massive jump compared to the last three election cycles:

2014: 742012: 582010: 44

They are growing. Just like that vintage Steve McQueen horror film — “The Blob“.

“The high number of ballot initiative proposals this cycle includes a variety of hot-button topics, such as alcohol sales in grocery stores, restrictions and bans on oil and gas development, increases to the minimum wage, universal health care, opening primary elections to unaffiliated voters and same-sex marriage. Some of these issues have already garnered national attention and could make a significant impact if they appear on the ballot this year, impacting both state and local candidate races, including the U.S. Senate race.” — Jason Dunn and Sarah Clark

The ballot initiative process in Colorado.

“The first problem of the media is posed by what does not get translated, or even published in the dominant political languages.” — Jacques Derrida

Birthdays: Sending Happy Birthday wishes to Grand Junction attorney and perennial idealist Democrat candidate for office in Mesa County, Dan Robinson and to Proformance Apparel owner and Colorado Business Roundtable President Jeff Wasden today! Dan and Jeff — you’re good people, have a great day.

Events:

Feel the Bern Chili Cookoff Canvass with Larry Cohen and U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva — Sat., Feb. 27, 2150  Naegele Rd, Colorado Springs, CO 1:00 pm

South Carolina Democratic Primary — Saturday, Feb. 27.

Walk with Rhonda — Rhonda Fields for Senate District 29 neighborhood canvassing, Sat., Feb. 27, Tailyn’s Reach Library, 23911 E Arapahoe Rd., 11:00 am – 3:00 pm

Tim Neville for Senate Volunteer Call Day — Sat., Feb. 27, 7991 Shaffer Pkwy, Littleton, 10:00 am

Angela Williams Caucus Breakfast — Sat., Feb. 27, Coffee at the Point, 710 E 26th Ave, Denver, 9:00 am, please RSVP at your earliest convenience to Campaign Manager, Nate Salzman, at Nate@Angela4colo.com.

Pete Lee Town Hall with Sen. Mike Merrifield and the Colorado Fiscal Institute — Sat., Feb. 27, Ivywild School, 1604 S Cascade Ave, 10:30 am

LGBT Lobby Day — Mon., Feb. 29, Central Presbyterian Church, 1660 Sherman St, Denver, 8:30 am – 2:00 pm, Sign up here: bit.ly/2016LobbyDay

Super Tuesday — Alabama, Alaska Caucus (R), American Samoa Caucus (D), Arkansas, Colorado caucuses, Democrats Abroad, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota Caucus (R), Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wyoming Caucus (R) — March 1

Forging in the West, Celebrate Pueblo and the new documentary film — Thurs., Mar. 3, Haveypro Cinema Studio, 1836 Blake St, Ste 203, Denver, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm, RSVP to 303-296-7448 or alysha@haveypro.com

Denver County GOP Friday Breakfast with Senate Candidates — Ryan Frazier, Darryl Glenn and Tim Neville are all confirmed to speak at the breakfast — March 4, 7:00 am, Pete’s Greektown Cafe, 2910 E Colfax Ave

Government in the Grocery with Rep. Alec Garnett — Garnett listens to the concerns of shoppers and constituents by setting up a table in local grocery stores. Sat., Mar. 5, Natural Grocers, 1433 Washington St., Denver, 9:30 am — 11:30 am

Millennial Freedom Forum — Sunday, Mar. 6, Cherry Creek Country Club, 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm, RSVP at millenialfreedomforum.org

Golden View Classical Academy Sentinel Soiree — Sat., Mar. 12, Golden View Classical Academy, 601 Corporate Circle, Golden, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm, best Colorado cocktail attire, RSVP to Hillary@WestBrookGroup.com

Agriculture Day at the Capitol — Set for Tuesdays, March 16 — get ready for awesome food and great folks to descend upon the Capitol.

Colorado Young Democrats 2016 Legislative Showdown — Wed., Mar. 16, The 1up, 717 E Colfax Ave, Denver, 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. Please join Sen. Ulibarri, Rep. Garnett, Rep. Melton, Rep. Moreno, and other legislators for one of our signature annual events.

17th Annual Icon Awards Gala — Fri., Mar. 18, Grand Hyatt Denver Downtown, 6:00 pm, Ticket includes appetizers, seated dinner, open bar, fabulous entertainment and dancing! Voted year after year as the best party in Denver! Tickets available at: http://bit.ly/1PN5Jj3

Rosting Mike Rosen — Sat. Mar. 19, Denver Marriot Tech Center, 4900 S Syracuse St, Denver, 5:30 pm – 11:00 pm, www.taps.org/classic

2nd Annual Westminster Chamber Awards Gala — Fri., Apr. 29, Westminster Chamber of Commerce, Denver Marriott Westminster, 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm. Join us for our 2nd Annual Awards Gala on April 29th at the Denver Marriott Westminster. Awards will be given to area business in different catagories. Food, Music and a Silent Auction will be part of this years event. There will be a 1 hour preview for VIP members and higher from 5-6pm and doors open to the public at 6pm. Purchase your ticket early and save $5 per ticket.

Want your event listed? Just let me know.

From the wires:

Denver Post’s John Frank reports on Colorado’s caucuses being a ‘gauntlet’ for GOP presidential candidates due to the state party’s decisions to unbind delegates national convention. A good report on the approaching Super Tuesday for Colorado.

Corey Hutchins reports in the Colorado Independent that Gov. John Hickenlooper ‘hasn’t even joked about’ a potential role in the White House with the Hillary Clinton team

Denver Business Journal’s Cathy Proctor reports on soaring revenue from DIA stores 

The Greeley Tribune reports on one of Rep. Ken Buck’s bills passing the U.S. House

Denver Post’s John Frank reports on “Who is the new Mrs. Hickenlooper?”

The Daily Sentinel’s Charles Ashby reports on the Capital Development Committee asking the Joint Budget Committee to close the Grand Junction Regional Center by 2017.

Colorado Capitol Watch —From our bill tracking partners:

No New Bills Yesterday

All Bills: 429 as of 2/25    

All Bipartisan Bills: 202 as of 2/25

All PI Bills: 62 as of 2/25 (6 new)    

 House Wrap-Up: Today 

Senate Wrap-Up: Today 

Audio Update: Today 

– Calendars –

 2/25 House and Senate Bills in order of appearance  

   2/25 Bills sortable by time, number, etc.  

All Upcoming Bills From Today Forward

House and Senate Calendars:

HOUSE – Your Feb. 26 Calendar here 

SENATE – Your Feb. 26 Calendar here 

You’re up to date. Have a great Friday and weekend! Until Monday …

Tell us what you know! — To submit a tip, event, happening, gossuping, chattering or other interesting tidbit to The Hot Sheet, click here to submit via our contact form … yes, even anonymously if you’re feeling all cloak and dagger.

JW