Forty Years Ago This Week: Colorado’s politicos were told to expect Lt. Gov. Nancy Dick to announce her candidacy for the 1984 U.S. Senate race against Republican incumbent Bill Armstrong. This according to her son and campaign manager, Timber.

Dick, who had just finished managing Rep. Tom Lantos’s successful bid for California’s 11th Congressional District, said that it was his understanding that Gov. Dick Lamm would not be a candidate for the senate in 1984, giving them what they felt was a clear runway to launch the lieutenant governor’s campaign.

“He’s indicated to us categorically that he’s not going to run for a wide variety of reasons,” Dick said. “In order for someone other than Dick Lamm to pursue this race, they must move now.”

Dick said that although his mother considered Armstrong a “tough candidate” she had a history of winning uphill battles, “and she likes the role of the underdog.”

“It will take at least $1.5 million, and I think we can get that.”

Party insiders were still hopeful for a Lamm candidacy.

A poll commissioned by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and executed by pollster Peter Hart asked 506 Coloradans “if the election were held today” who they would vote for. The polling placed Lamm against Armstrong in a hypothetical matchup in which Lamm polled 51% to Armstrong’s 38% with 11% undecided.

DSCC Executive Director Brian Atwood said the poll was extensive, consisting of a 20-minute phone interview with those selected. According to Atwood, several other Democrats were named as possible candidates, but none came out as well as Lamm.

A couple of Democrats, whom Atwood wouldn’t name, did come “well within reach” of Armstrong.

“What it shows is that Armstrong is vulnerable,” Atwood said. “Our best opportunity is Gov. Lamm. He is an extremely popular governor, and his name recognition is as high as Ronald Reagan’s, 99 percent, you can’t get any higher.”

Although Atwood clarified that the DSCC did not target races, he indicated that the Armstrong race would receive more attention, and possibly more money, from the national committee if a strong contender were to take it on.

“Some Republican senators are seen as more vulnerable [than Armstrong],” Atwood said, “but Armstrong would move into that category if Lamm were the opponent.”

Patty Harrell Ash, Armstrong’s Colorado director, essentially shrugged off the poll, telling The Colorado Statesman, “I hope Dick Lamm is the Democratic candidate. That would make a great contest.”

Ash added that while the senator’s staff assumed that he would run for reelection, he had not yet made that announcement and didn’t have to until the following spring.

“We think the DSCC polling is great,” Ash said. “People will be watching Dick Lamm more closely, and they will tend to be more critical of what he does.”

Lamm’s 51% polling wasn’t surprising to them, Ash said, because of his high visibility in the Colorado media, she also contributed Armstrong’s lower name recognition to transplants to Colorado since the 1978 election.

“I’m looking forward to the campaign no matter who the Democratic candidate is. Nancy Dick would make a good candidate too. But I’m certain that Armstrong will win reelection. There’s no better person to work for.”

Armstrong and his wife, Ellen, according to Ash, were currently on a private trip to the Soviet Union in order to gain “increased knowledge and understanding” of the county “so he wanted to go without an official status.”

The Armstrongs would be spending two weeks in the USSR to meet with dissidents, refuseniks, as well as government officials and the mayor of Moscow, Vladimir Promyslov. Ash said that Armstrong hoped to gain information about slave labor pipelines and underground religious activity during his time in the country.

Rachael Wright is the author of the Captain Savva Mystery series, which you learn more about at her website, authorrachaelwright.com. She has degrees in Political Science and History from Colorado Mesa University and is a contributing writer to Colorado Politics and The Gazette.