Matt Smith Makes Senate Run Official

The Grand Junction Sentinel reports that former state legislator and 2004 congressional candidate (CD-3) Matt Smith has formally announced that he will run for the state senate rather than take a shot at Congressman John Salazar.

This had been all but official for weeks, but Smith talked about Senate District 7 with the Sentinel:

He said Tuesday he can best serve the Western Slope by bringing that experience back to the Senate. He plans to pursue the GOP nomination in 2006 for the seat held by Sen. Ron Teck, a Grand Junction Republican who is term-limited next year.

Comments

[Theturthhurts]

Hey Muck-

What's the deal? Picking on someone's wife. Did she kick your but back in HS or something?

You are a tool.

All one has to do is compare Matt to Josh to figure out that Josh is the better candidate.

Young vs. Old
Tall vs. short
fit vs chubby
head of hair vs. balding
quarterback vs. tuba player
passed meaningful legislation vs just a voting record
Helped Republicans win vs. Helped DEMOCRATS win.

When your ego heals from Jamie kicking it, come back and play.

[friends]

mucraker: just cause she could take you in a game of one on one hoops doesnt mean you have to take cheap shots! maybe alva will give up your IP or in the least remove the post so we can out frauds like you that discredit this site! were all going to be lurking! Even the Smith supporters are ready to hang you!

[FriendofMatt]

Theturthhurts (sic) -

Dude, go wipe the foam off your mouth and take your meds.

It's obvious by the first four comparisons you listed that you are hung up on looks more than anything else. That makes me think your issue with Matt is personal.

Greg Walcher, is that you? No, no -- Greg wouldn't call Matt old, since they're the same age.

Aha! It's one of the Mesa State 20-somethings that think anyone over 30 is old. Got it.

You know - it's interesting that Josh's supporters are bring age into this debate.

[BA]

We bring Josh's age into the debate because of how much he has accomplished in his few years.

And in all honesty Jamie could quickly kick just about anyone's ass in here, I wouldn't want her going after me.

Matt's supporters are just jealous of how much love Josh gets. Why don't you just resort to polishing Matt's bald head and realize he is a has been?

[moderateR]

FRIENDOFMATT: Clearly you are having a hard time letting go. The next generation of political influence in Mesa County is creeping closer and closer in to your own personal sphere of influence. The one friend you had with any "swing" was Matt and now he is all washed up which means YOU are all washed up. I realize its a tough pill for you to swallow but accept the fact that your days as a personal "friend" of an elected official are over.

[MatttheDem]

Hey TheTruthHurts:

You're way off base. The bottom line is that Matt Smith will be a rotten candidate...he works for Democrats.

And, more importantly, he would be a horrible, ineffective legislator -- just check the record.

Crawl back in your hole.

[Thetruth]

Sorry not Greg Walcher - I think he is off picking peaches.

As for the comparisons - those are the first things voters will see and you know it. Aside from Joan Fitzgerald (who might have been something in her day) how many ugly politicians do you know?

The age issue is relevent because the Republican Party in Colorado needs new blood and new ideas. In addition, Josh has accomplished more in his brief career than Matt ever will picking up the cumbs from Scott. If Matt were a good candidate he would be able to parlay his relation to Scott into something and have some clout. Heck, if he were something Scott would have gotten off the fence and endorsed him vs. working behind the scenes to get Tipton into the race.

Do you want some more?

[FriendofMatt]

Okay, I think Matt and Josh are both capable, bright guys. So for a moment let's talk about age in relation to when Matt and Josh each ran for office.

Matt ran for HD 54 when he was in his 40s. Before that he worked in water law for, what…10-15 years (I'm guessing here). Matt's work history was built over ... (calculating)... ~30 years.

Josh ran for HD 54 at age 26 or 27. Before that he did good work for Scott McInnis in DC as media liaison and then legislative staffer. His total work history is about 7 years since graduating from college.

To me, the difference in when they both ran for public office and their professional life outside politics speaks volumes -- about their goals and sense of a place in our little corner of the world.

While Matt has a career outside of politics that he can fall back on at any time, it appears that Josh's career goal has always been politics. Period. Unless he wants to continue working as an insurance agent at Home Loan (an admirable pursuit – and good money for his family, too).

So, I see Matt Smith as someone whose goals were not politically motivated from the get-go. Josh often appears motivated by ambition more than in the spirit of serving the public.

As to "new blood" - I agree that it's always good to encourage new folks to run for office. But it doesn't mean that they should all be in their 20s.

Age is an asset, not a liability. Youth can also be an asset, too – if channeled properly. However, I've noticed a troubling trend among the newly-active young Republicans in Mesa County. They all have a huge sense of entitlement. Sorry, just because you have "new ideas" and fewer wrinkles doesn't mean that you automatically deserve to be elected to public office.

[TruthSquad]

Hey FriendofMatt:

Here's a truthsquad fact...Matt doesn't have a job because no one will hire him! At least Josh is employable...

[FriendofMatt]

TruthSquad -

Are you a Penry supporter? Or are you just using Josh as an excuse to bash Matt because didn't endorse Walcher last year?

Being a good Republican doesn't mean automatically parking your brain at the door. Walcher was a huge albatross hanging around the GOP's neck last year.

Matt wasn't the only Republican to deny Walcher his support... he just happened to be the most visible one.

Now.. about the job thing. Do you have the inside track on Matt's life since the election?

I understand that Matt was offered and *turned down* at least one six-figure salary job in the energy industry out of state, just so that he could stay in Colorado. I would guess that Matt's degree and good relationship with folks in international energy circles could be parlayed into a hefty job, if he asked for one.

By the way, I'm not knocking Josh's job... I commend him for being a hard worker. It has to be difficult raising a family on a legislator's salary.

[Muckracker]

You guys are morons. Calling Penry's wife a beard is no insult to her. It's an insult to PENRY. Look up "beard" in a slang dictionary. PS: only relaying a rumor I heard, don't know if its true or not.

[BA]

Last time I checked into it and maybe you need to Josh is employed. Matt was offered a job but obviously didn't take it.

[FriendofMatt]

BA -
Yes, I know that Josh has a private sector job to supplement his legislative income. I mentioned it earlier, but I can understand why you might have missed it with all the fur flying.

You know - this is really a shame.

Matt and Josh are good guys. They both are a credit to Mesa State College and to this community.

Too bad that a few nabobs of negativity have to show their "support" for Josh by taking cheap shots at Matt.

And as for muckraker - we can dismiss this joker as a little blip on the radar screen. No substance, just noise.

[BA]

Matt acted very poorly after he lost the primary. I did not see him campaigning for anyone but Salazar and in all honesty we could have used his help. He has alienated many in the party and it is going to turn around and bite him in the butt.

[SD7perspective]

BA -

I'm going to jump in here and offer more perspective.

First, a story about two former presidents: George H.W. Bush and William J. Clinton. There was never any love lost between these two after Clinton whipped the elder Bush to claim the presidency. However, it seems that in the last year, following the tsunami disaster, their status as “former presidents” has fostered a friendship between them. (It was very interesting to see them on Larry King.) Now, that doesn’t mean Bush Sr. agrees with Clinton’s politics. It just means they have a common experience that very few people will ever understand.

It stands to reason that even elected officials on the lower rungs of the political ladder have the same relationship with each other, even if they have different political philosophies. I suspect that this is the type of relationship Matt Smith and John Salazar have. They both worked hard on a water compromise bill – much as Josh and Bernie crossed party lines to try again this year. Should we call Josh a “democrat lover” because he worked with Bernie? That is sheer nonsense.

Matt did not campaign for Salazar. They are former colleagues who worked on legislation together and maintain a respectful relationship. Smith and Walcher, on the other hand, never have had a good relationship – even during their days at Mesa State. Very competitive, those two. Based on their collegiate history alone, I would never expect Matt to endorse Walcher (or vice versa) for any position. However, Walcher didn’t engender a lot of warm feelings among legislators while he was DNR chief. So that fostered even more rancor between he and Matt, I imagine. All just a formula for bitter stew. (sigh)

For what it’s worth… that’s my perspective.

[FriendofMatt]

ba, you are wrong - Smith never worked for Salazar.

Anyone who has ever worked on a political campaign (especially one that immense) knows how exhausting they are. Can you blame Smith for disappearing after he lost a gut-wrenching primary (especially in a plurality vote that fragmented the moderate R vote among Smith, Rippy and that delusional Aljanic)?

Look at the big picture - primaries are tough on parties. There's always a loser and it's always more painful than losing to someone of the opposite party. Why? Because primaries divide people who should be friends.

Matt - I'm there for you, man.

Josh - I'm there for you, too, if you run for re-election in District 54.

Please don't make me choose one friend over another!

[parties]

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[his]

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[talking]

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[pulls]

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[right of center]

Who is looking at a rep run for a Penry oppening. I havnt heard of anything since Wortman stepped down?