Last month, Colorado State Senators Giron and Morse were recalled from office by a grassroots campaign. The underlying issues were their support for three gun-control bills and their refusal to listen to constituents on the matter. Despite a massive amount of outside financial and political support, neither Senator was able to hold their seat.
A third recall, this one for Denver Senator Evie Hudak, is now building steam. This time around, Governor Hickenlooper is asking Michael Bloomberg and other sympathetic interests to stay out of the fray.
The question is, why? According to Hickenlooper, Coloradans are suspicious of “outside influences.”
A more likely explanation is that he’s realized those “outside influences” aren’t much help and may be a liability. The last round of recalls proved that Michael Bloomberg’s money and clout weren’t as potent a safety net as he’d promised earlier this year.
Bloomberg himself has taken a rather cavalier tone on the issue, stating:
What do you mean we lost? I’m sorry for those two people. But we won in Colorado. On to the next state.
The lesson is that Bloomberg doesn’t care about allies. He cares about an agenda, and he’ll throw anyone under the bus he feels the need to.
If Hudak loses to a Republican, the balance of power in the Senate shifts red, and there’s a real chance of repealing all three bills.