Forty Years Ago This Week: The chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, Bo Callaway, was facing a setback in his plans for a Republican challenger against Democrat U.S. Rep. Pat Schroeder in the first congressional district. Sherry Manning, the GOP’s top candidate, had just announced her withdrawal from the race.

The former administrator of Colorado Women’s College had been widely touted as an outstanding candidate. Manning had made the typical rounds of campaigners to political functions and small luncheons with prominent Republicans and members of the metro area’s business community. She had even attended the National Republican Congressional Committee’s candidate school in Philadelphia.

After consulting with Robert Teeter over a poll that had been commissioned by the GOP in CD1, she had expressed enthusiasm about its findings.

But her candidacy was not to be. At a Pro-Denver meeting, Manning said that while she was “bullish on the first district and bullish on ‘Pro-Denver,'” she was sorry that she was not the right candidate to end Democrat Schroeder’s six-tern reign.

Manning explained that a campaign would necessitate 18 hours a day in commitment, seven days a week over the next several months, and as the mother of a newborn, it would simply be too extreme a time commitment.

“I don’t agree that the seat isn’t winnable,” Manning said. “And I’m not laying down the gauntlet, but merely passing it on. With the right candidate, professional organization, and proper financing, the race can be won. Voter registration is key.”

In a moment of magnanimity, Manning said that all the work product from her exploration of the race and the district would be available to anyone.

With Manning’s withdrawal, the Republican Party was left without a candidate. Clarence Decker, who had challenged Schroeder unsuccessfully in 1982, said that he wasn’t interested in running for the seat again. And former state Sen. Paul Powers, R-Denver, who was often named as a potential candidate, said that he wasn’t “going to purse the road to Washington.”

Powers added that he would announce in January whether he’d run for his old Senate seat.

“I don’t want to peak too early,” Powers said. “It would be a commitment of time and resources, that must be carefully examined.”

Thirty Years Ago: After seemingly ending his own gubernatorial candidacy, cable magnate Bill Daniels discussed his hopes for the 1994 election.

“It’s time for a change,” Daniels said. “I want to see a candidate who can beat Romer.”

Daniels said that it was growing clearer by the day that Gov. Roy Romer would be enticed away from Colorado by the offer of a cabinet position in President Bill Clinton’s administration.

“Roy’s hungry,” Daniels said. “He would take it in a minute. Roy has that kind of ambition. If Clinton offered him whatever rings his bells, he’d jump on it.”

Reflecting on the three Republicans still trudging along the gubernatorial campaign trail, Daniels said Jim Nicholson was “a great guy. I love his resume, especially his military background.” He said he didn’t personally know two other candidates in the race, Mike Bird and Dick Sargent, though had contributed to Sargent’s former campaign for state treasurer.

In other news, Democratic U.S. Rep. David Skaggs, CD-2, announced that he would sponsor a bill to prohibit juvenile possession of firearms, “not just handguns – and throughout the country.”

Skaggs said his bill would be sensitive to cultural diversity and would permit state legislatures to make exceptions.

“Out here in the West, for instance, we have a strong tradition of outdoor activities, including hunting,” Skaggs said. “But back east, in some of the major metropolises, the lifestyle is completely different. This allows each to make alterations in that part of the law to suit his own needs.”

Skaggs’ announcement won him immediate support from twelve police chiefs across the state, the Denver Police Protective Association, and metro-area mayors.

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.