VOL. 01 NO. 51 | MARCH 25, 2016 | COLORADOSTATESMAN.COM/THE-HOT-SHEET | © 2016

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

DENVER — Happy Good Friday, and a very Happy Birthday to my wife, who puts up with the early morning or late night writing of The Hot Sheet on a daily basis.

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love. — Mother Teresa

Now, your substrata feed straight from the politics pipeline:

Of the pledged Colorado delegates, Ted Cruz has a ‘Yuuuuge’ lead over The Donald, but most of them are unpledged — As promised, the Colorado GOP released the names of potential national delegates this week. The results: Ted Cruz has 102 pledged delegates, Donald Trump has 62, and John Kasich has 5. No longer candidates, Marco Rubio has 10 and Ben Carson has 4. Meanwhile, the majority of delegates — 314 — are unpledged. Of this big list, just 37 will go on to be delegates to the national convention after they are elected at their respective congressional district assemblies and the state assembly. Click here for the full list

Donald Trump has a crafty plan to avert a contested convention, and it’s all being led by a (former) Ben Carson operative — “We are talking to tons of delegates,” says Barry Bennett, a former Ben Carson campaign manager now leading the delegate strategy for Trump. Bennet told NBC News there are two distinct phases for winning an open convention. (Phase 1) Locking down delegates in the July 7 to July 18 window — the dates of the last primary and the national convention. (Phase 2) Preventing delegate attrition: Trump delegate now, Trump delegate always. Read the full story here

To those who say Kasich has no path forward — “Not so fast,” says Colorado co-chair and former House Majority Leader Amy Stephens, “there actually is a path, and in the coming weeks we will have to see how the mid-Atlantic states shake out which favor Kasich over Cruz.” Plus, she added, “the majority of delegates will actually be elected in April and May at their state and district conventions. Kasich carefully did his math before ever entering the Presidential race … and clearly understands and supports a transparent — real-time, open convention where votes are carried out in the public light of day by people who once “unbound” may reveal a different story than the one being told by media elites right now. I think it is worth keeping an open mind to the possibility.”

But did John Kasich always used to be so soft and cuddly? — Kasich’s Ohio colleagues told the New York Times in interviews, they recall a three-decade career in government punctuated by scolding confrontations, intemperate critiques and undiplomatic remarks. Read the full story here

ONE OF THE STATE LEGISLATURE’S FEW REAL JOBS BEGINS MONDAY — VOTING ON A BALANCED BUDGET>

The budget has been released, ‘no refunds for you’ — The Joint Budget Committee unanimously passed its draft $27 billion budget Thursday — a balanced one, of course (because, you know, we actually have to balance a budget here in Colorado). In it, they eliminated many of Gov. John Hickenlooper‘s recommended cuts, while taking away the $59 million in TABOR  taxpayer refunds. What’s their point? Is it that Douglas Bruce can’t put money back in your pockets from a jail cell? Nah, said JBC Member Republican Sen. Kent Lambert. “If you don’t have the revenue, you also don’t have the money to make TABOR refunds,” he told theDenver Post.

JBC Member, Rep. Dave Young: “This budget could have been worse, but look out for the 2017-18 fiscal year, when taxpayer refunds under TABOR are expected to total $250 million despite signs that the state’s economic growth is slowing.”

Budget breakdown — Under the draft budget, which goes to the House of Representatives for debate Monday, it does not cut Higher Education by $19 million, as Hickenlooper had proposed. It does, however, cut the hospital provider fee by $73 million, which is anticipated to impact hospitals in areas with the largest Medicaid populations. It also cuts roads and bridges CDOT funding by $53 million. But, Kyle Ennenga, policy analyst for the Senate Republican majority, says that does not count CDOT getting a $1.4 billion increase in other line items.

Biggest budget takeaways — (1) No taxpayer refunds are coming this year (due to not automatically being triggered under the draft budget). (2) While some — including the governor — are claiming that the budget takes away some of the immediate urgency in relocating the hospital provider free to an enterprise fund, that’s not so clear. With a $73 million dollar cut to the program, it will be interesting to see if the House Democratic majority caucus continues to push the issue and introduce legislation to eliminate such a cut, taking it out from under the general fund and its TABOR limits. (3) Transportation funding is at 75% — not sure if the Senate Republicans will agree with that statement. (4) No K-12 or Higher Education cuts (but no increases for Higher Ed either, which will mean likely tuition increases across the state). (5) The 6.5 percent budget reserve is maintained. (6) No raises or merit increases for state employees. (7) K-12 per pupil spending is increased by $112 to $7,425, reducing the negative factor slightly from $855.2 million to $830.7 million.

Full budget story in the Denver Business Journal

Full budget story in the Denver Post: Colorado budget bill eliminates TABOR refunds, slashes spending — but the “headline doesn’t tell the story: declining revenue and bad choices, JBC prevented cuts to education,” exclaimed Sen. Pat Steadman in a tweet.

SCANDAL! The alleged Ted Cruz affairs — Some are alleging Breitbart has been holding a story about a number of Ted Cruz extramarital affairs for a while now, “news” that the National Enquirer picked up, as did a host of other, more off-beat websites like Conservative Outfitters. According to the Enquirer, “Private detectives are digging into at least five affairs Ted Cruz supposedly had,” a claim made by a Washington insider. “The leaked details are an attempt to destroy what’s left of his White House campaign!”

The Enquirer reported that Cruz’s claimed mistresses include a foxy political consultant and a high-placed D.C. attorney.

Conservative Outfitters points out that the Enquirer was right about John Edwards, Tiger Woods, and Jesse Jackson’s affairs. Additionally, Washington Times columnist Drew Johnson confirmed the story saying in a tweet (from Berlin), “COMING CLEAN: From what I know, at least 2 of the women named as Cruz mistresses by the National Enquirer are accurate. #TRUMP #CRUZ #TCOT”

Read the full post here

Dave and Dave; this is not the Rep. Dave Young you are looking for — A downside to having a name like Dave Young: it really confuses the Google bots:

Some humor: Brauchler’s Fitbit fails, company concerned — In a late night Tweet Thursday night, 18th Judicial District Attorney and seeming Republican go-to for nearly every statewide office that opens up on the ballot George Brauchler, reaches out to the man at the drive through window for a mound of In-N-Out Burger “Animal Style” fries (man I’m jealous) in a POV photo . “As I reached for the fries “animal style,” my @fitbit stopped working,” Brauchler tweeted while on spring break vacay. Fitbit Support’s response two hours later: “Hi there! Can you please share with us more details about your experience & which tracker do you own? Keep us posted!”

A warning to Brauchler: A 2016 law suit claims, some of the monitors miss beats and can dangerously underestimate your workout … or mega-fry eating. If you get it working again, be careful out there.

Charlie Ehler issues scathing response to 9News: ‘Do your jobs!’ — After the9News panel of “political experts” made their decision not to allow candidate Charlie Ehler into the first televised GOP U.S. Senate debate. “I would have let it lie except they then announced I was nonviable for failure to submit materials to them,” Ehler said in a post to his website. “These folks have no idea who is viable and who is not. They couldn’t even be bothered to spell my name right in their article. (They have fixed it since then). The only reason I’m non-viable in their eyes is I stood my ground and told them to do their own job instead of asking me to do it for them. I take exception to this!”

Ehler did not submit materials to 9News as they requested in order to make their decision, which automatically disqualified him. So, post-facto, Ehler released some hand-scrawled “materials” to 9News, scrawled on wide-lined notebook paper. “So I submitted materials entirely in keeping with their vetting standards and standards of conduct,” Ehler said. “While I’m miffed that they could not be honest about the real circumstances, it’s all in fun! Enjoy!”

Click here to read the full post

Political consultant Cliff Andersen: “I like this man!”

Former Veep Dick Cheney coming to Colorado in support of daughter Liz —Former Vice President Dick Cheney will be in Colorado Tuesday night as a special guest at a private fundraiser for his daughter, Liz Cheney, who is again a candidate for Wyoming’s single At-Large Congressional District this election year. She is running in a primary race to fill Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis‘s seat. Lummis is not seeking re-election.

It is unknown whether the former vice president will be staying overnight at his well-known favorite downtown Denver hotel, The Brown Palace.

The Wyoming Republican State Convention is April 14-16. Liz Cheney formally announced her campaign for congress at the beginning of February. Other candidates in the race include Wyoming state Rep. Tim Stubson, R-Casper, and Sen. Leland Christensen, R-Alta, Darek Farmer, a Guernsey stay-at-home father and former oilfield worker; Mike Konsmo, an assistant professor at Northwest College in Powell; Paul Paad, director of personnel and safety for a Casper trucking company; Rex Rammell, a Gillette veterinarian; Jason Senteney, a Yoder resident who works as a corrections officer at the prison in Torrington; and Charlie Tyrrel, a Casper pizzeria owner.

Libertarian candidate for president Gary Johnson polling strongly — Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate for president this cycle — as he was last, is polling strongly in a hypothetical three-way race against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. In a Monmouth University poll, Clinton is at 42 percent, Trump at 34 percent and Johnson at 11. Read the full story hereSee the poll here

“I don’t smoke marijuana anymore. I don’t drink. Marijuana is a handicap. So is alcohol. Alcohol is a terrible handicap. But in spite of being a handicap, it shouldn’t be criminal.” — Gary Johnson

Events:

Denver County Democratic Assembly — Sat., Mar. 26, Bellco Theatre, 700 14th St, Denver, 8:00 am

Adams County Republican Assembly — Sat., Mar. 26, Adams County Fairgrounds, Henderson, 8:00 am

Larimer County Republican Breakfast Club — Mon., Mar. 28, John Keyser, candidate for U.S. Senate will be there, Johnson’s Corner meeting room, 2842 SE Frontage Rd., Johnstown, 7:00 am – 8:30 am

Reception for Congressman Ed Perlmutter —Mon., Mar. 28, Please join hosts Vicente Sederberg, Bruce Nassau, & The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) for a reception for Congressman Ed Perlmutter. For more information or to RSVP please contact Kelly Hogan at 720-231-5041 or kelly@perlmutterforcolorado.com. Vincente Sederberg, LLC, 1244 Grant St, Denver, 5:30 pm — 7:30 pm

South Metro Denver Chamber U.S. Senate Candidate Forum — Mon., Mar. 28, Colorado Hispanic Republicans and the Reagan Club present a US Senate Candidate forum. Come and meet the candidates and ask your important questions. Learn what they each stand for and what their proposals are if elected to represent Colorado. Cost — $5 donation. Limited seating. RSVP and donation required. Click here to register.  South Metro Denver Chamber, 2154 E Commons Ave #342, Centennial, 6:00 pm — 9:00 pm.

Jewish National Fund’s Colorado Water Summit Legislative Reception with Bestselling Author Seth Siegel — Mon., Mar. 28, University Club Denver, 1673 Sherman St., 5:00 pm — 7:00 pm. Please RSVP to Boaz Meir by March 22nd bmeir@jnf.org or 303-573-7095

Sen. Irene Aguilar Town Hall — Tues., Mar. 29, Please join State Senator Irene Aguilar for a town hall at the Washington Street Community Center. In honor of Women’s History Month, a panel of speakers will discuss current issues women in Colorado are facing. The senator will also answer constituent questions. If you are up for a walk, meet the senator by the Community Center at 5 pm for a stroll around the park, Washington Street Community Center, 809 S Washington St., Denver, 5:00 pm — 7:30 pm

Morgan Carroll for Colorado Grassroots Happy Hour — Tues., Mar. 29, Apex Sports Lounge, 14567 E Alameda Ave, Aurora, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The 35th Annual Senior Day at the Capitol — Wed., Mar. 30, The morning session features a robust discussion with the state’s leaders; and, the afternoon session at the Consistory across the street features lunch and a roundtable with community leaders in the world of older adults. Starts at 9:00 am. Save the date!

Emerge Colorado’s fourth annual Women Trailblazers Cocktail Reception —Wed., Mar. 30, Join Jenny Willford, executive director of Emerge Colorado, Rep. Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, Kim Cordova, president of UFCW Local 7, Kim Jordan, co-founder of New Belgium Brewery, and Sen. Lucia Guzman, Colorado State Senate Minority Leader, Savoy Denver, 2700 Arapahoe St., Denver, 6:00 pm — 8:00 pm

Monica Wasden, Republican candidate for Douglas County Commissioner reception — Thurs., Apr. 7, Undisclosed location deep in an underground, top-secret bunker somewhere, RSVP by Sunday April 3 to Monica@monicawasdenforcommissioner.com, 4:30 pm — 6:30 pm

Foothills Republicans to host Mike Rosen — Thurs., Apr. 14,  Rosen will be selling and signing his latest book, Reality: A Plain-Talk Guide to Economics, Politics, Government and Culture, Homestead Golf Course Grill, 11500 W. Hampden Ave., Lakewood, 11:30 a.m. Check-in/Social, 12:00 p.m. Meeting begins, $17 for members with advanced reservation, $20 for non-member walk-ins, Advance reservations required by Monday, April 11, Marcia Cramer: 303-933-8804

Colorado Young Democrats day at the Capitol — Wed., Apr. 27, Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with legislators, attend committee meetings, tour the Dome, go on the Senate and House floors as guests, and learn how to be an effective advocate. Guest speakers: Karen Wick from the Colorado Education Association will speak on education policy, Danielle Glover, CYD Chair, will provide a Lobbying 101 training and Sen. Mike Johnston will discuss what is happening at the legislature, Colorado state Capitol, 200 E Colfax, Ste 136, 8:00 am — 2:00 pm

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 categories. 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.

G.A. House and Senate Calendars:

HOUSE – Your Mar. 25 Calendar here 

SENATE – Your Mar. 25 Calendar here 

You’re up to date. Have a great Friday and Easter 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