Forty Years Ago This Week: In a highly unusual move, Pat Grant, the former finance chairman for the successful 1982 statehouse campaign of Rep. Ruth Prendergast, R-Denver, made a surprise announcement that he would now running for the House District 9 seat – against Prendergast.

“I’m really running to save the seat, not necessarily against the incumbent,” the Denver attorney said. “This seat will be targeted by the Denver Democratic Party next year, and if the incumbent is the nominee, the Republican Party has an outstanding chance of losing it.”

The 1982 election for the seat had been so close that Prendergast had won with a mere 67 votes separating her from her Democratic challenger.

She had not yet formally announced that she would run for reelection, but she had hinted at her annual BBQ fundraiser that she would.

In a conversation with The Colorado Statesman, Prendergast argued that the “foreign district” was to blame on the very close election.

“Reapportionment gave me about 80% new constituents,” Prendergast said. “I was like the new kid on the block back then. When I ran last year, most people didn’t know who I was, but by next summer they’ll know me.”

Grant however disagreed and pointed to a poll he had commissioned over the summer that showed that “Prendergast suffers from abnormally low name identification for an incumbent and a dual image problem.”

Grant continued to take swings at the candidate he had once supported, saying that no one had any idea what Prendergast had accomplished “and she’s perceived as being a rather rigid conservative.”

In a district with more registered Republicans than Democrats and with more than 18,000 votes cast, “she was elected with less than 100 votes to spare,” Grant said. “It showed a terrific departure of Republicans.”

Grant said that he tried to be as open as possible about his intentions and, during the summer, had briefed Prendergast on his plans.

“She was somewhat hurt and concerned,” Grant said. “I told her I wasn’t trying to work behind her back. I’m just very concerned about retaining the seat for the party.”

Prendergast told The Statesman that if that were true, Grant wouldn’t have chosen to cause a division by running against her.

“It’s a real mistake,” Prendergast said. “And naturally I’d rather it didn’t happen. Incumbency does have a real advantage. Very seldom do you see a Republican run a primary against a Republican incumbent.”

Grant said he had discussed his candidacy with party officials and district captains and though bylaws prevent the party from taking sides in a primary, no one had discouraged him from entering the race.

“Personally, sometimes I think primaries are very healthy,” said Kay Riddle, political director of the state party and Republican National Committee person. “I’m not for limiting access to the political process.”

Denver Republican Party chair Gloria Convin said there was no way to prevent a primary and that Prendergast just had to get out in the community.

“There are enough people who feel that Ruth doesn’t represent the district and who are excited about supporting Pat,” Colvin said. “Most of the unhappiness with Ruth stems from critics who view her as a weak proponent for Denver interests. Some also see her as a bit unbending in her philosophy.”

Thirty Years Ago: Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney headlined a packed fundraising event for Colorado’s U.S. Rep. Joel Hefley’s, CD-5, re-election campaign.

Cheney warned the gathered Republicans that the threat of communism had not ended and that the country should take a cautious approach, particularly in its approach to national defense. He argued that downsizing the military would drastically undermine the country’s readiness and capabilities.

When asked whether Cheney would run for president in 1996, his daughter, Liz Cheney, told The Statesman that her father would decide by the end of the year.

“Aside from personal and family considerations, Dick wants to be sure that he brings about positive changes for the country,” Liz Cheney said of her father.

Rachael Wright is the author of the Captain Savva Mystery series, with degrees in Political Science and History from Colorado Mesa University, and is a contributing writer to Colorado Politics and The Gazette.