Gary Hart (D) may run for the Senate (Colorado)

[Doomsayer13]

Colorado Democrats urge Hart to consider Senate bid

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- Gary Hart, who decided against joining the Democratic presidential race this year, is being asked by national and Colorado Democratic leaders to make a 2004 Senate run against GOP incumbent Ben Nighthorse Campbell.

"I've had several conversations with him about it," said Chris Gates, chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party. "A lot of us in Colorado and Washington would love to see Gary take this race on. He's listening."

Details about talks between Hart and the Democrats were first reported by The Denver Post on its Web site Saturday.

A telephone message left at Hart's office Saturday was not returned.

<snip>

http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/08/24/hart.senate.ap/index.html

What does this mean for the election demographic in 2004 if Hart runs? Does he still remain as popular in Colorado as he once was before he ran for president? Can he beat Ben Campbell?

[LittleApple81]

1. Why do smart (male) democrats get caught with their pants down?

I remember Hart's problems from his presidential campaign.

It looks they use their testosterone to "make love" at the wrong time, the wrong place. In my opinion, their sex life should be something personal that does not affect their political futures but it has been proven otherwise. Why aren't they more aware of this?

I am positive Republicans do some the same things (assuming testosterone is evenly distributed in the male population) but it does not get the publicity it does when Democrats are involved. Why?

[Doomsayer13]

2. That's easy

because when Democrats cheat, it's a sign of the moral degradation of the Democratic party, the corruption of sin and vice that embodies the American left, the character flaws that will tarr and bring down a nation.

When Republicans cheat, it's an occastion to become a born again Christian and blame Bill Clinton.

[liberalnurse]

3. That skeleton is dead and buried.....

Look at Arnold....repukes and dem's could care less.....There is plenty of mud to toss around which is current dirt.....Hart's affair is long over......He has demonstrate what a dedicated statesman he really is....He would be an asset to the Senate.

[Doomsayer13]

4. Republicans will bring it up again

rest assured. No body too dead, no skeleton too buryed for the right wing smear machine.

[blm]

5. He would win...DEFINITELY.

Don't underestimate the power of that Hart-Rudman report when it is used in the campaign relentlessly to prove that the GOP run government FAILED BIGTIME.

But...as much as I'd like him to be Senator, I think he'd be the best Homeland Security director we could have.

[NewJerseyDem]

7. Not definitely

Campbell will still be in a good position. He seems like somewhat of a maverick and people probably like him for that. However, Hart would certainly be our best candidate in the state. I wonder if he is really seriously considering running. I thought that he ruled out ever running for senate again a little while ago.

So far though the democrats have done a much better job recruiting than the republicans. We have gotten Knowles, Hoeffel, Tenenbaum, Farmer, and maybe Hart to run while republicans have failed to get good candidates in Illinois, North Dakota, Arkansas, Wisconsin and perhaps South Dakota and Nevada. These recruiting jobs are the only reason we still have a shot at the senate and probably won't lose too many seats if things go bad.

[mndemocrat_29]

25. I do think that Corzine is doing a terrific job at recruiting

If we can win back the Senate in 2004, (even by a marginal number of one or two) the next two elections (2006 and 2008) will give Democrats a definite advantage (due to changing demographics). If we can win in 2004, we can gain enough seats in the next couple of elections to put a virtual lock on the Senate for at least a decade.

[samurai_jack]

6. This is wonderful news [eom]

[jiacinto]

8. I don't live in Colorado, so I will defer to people living there

But isn't he old, kind of a has been?

[NewJerseyDem]

10. He's 66

That is younger than Ben Campbell.

[mitchtv]

9. great news,a chance to pick up a seat

Now, if Dennis K would only run in OH something might happen

[goobergunch]

11. IMHO Hart would be by far the strongest candidate we could put up

However, has he made any indication that he's running? Of course the party wants him (I want him, for what that's worth), but I won't get excited until he moves towards a candidacy.

[Hippo_Tron]

12. I hope so

Right now I think Bush's re-election is at about 50/50, we really can't predict the outcome. Which is why we MUST win the Senate in 2004. To win the Senate we are definately going to need strong candidates, we are going to need to have very strong candidates especially with the posibility of Zell Miller switching parties.

[Doomsayer13]

13. Zell Miller is retiring

he wont switch parties, he's retiring. That gives us the opprotunity to put a real Dem in the Senate in Georgia, but as of now, I think that the seat leans GOP becuase of the GOP landslide in 2002.

[goobergunch]

14. You got that right...

I think Andrew Young is going to run, and we will have an opening because he's a strong candidate and the Repukes will have a nasty primary fight (Isakson v. Collins).

[Hippo_Tron]

16. He is a real Democrat

Just votes differently than most. John Breaux (who I'm happy to have as Senator from LA) does the same but to a lesser extent, as well as Max Baucus and a few others. BTW you can't have a liberal win a Senate seat in Georgia so you might as well have a conservative Democrat and at least have another person in the caucus that will give us control.

Oh yeah and I'd prefer not to replace ben becuase I like him better than most Republicans but I think Gary Hart would do a good job. Oh yeah there's talks of John McCain loosing re-election because Arizona is not happy with him.

[Doomsayer13]

17. I used to be a Miller defender

but since his joining in the Republican filibuster busting move in the Senate, I've lost all sympathy for him. Moderation is not a crime, but betraying your party is.

[NewJerseyDem]

18. I've come to really hate Miller too

I still think that he is better than most republicans, especially last year when we needed him to keep control of the senate. However, the republicans always parade him around when he is voting with them and then a lot of people who only follow politics a little think that the republican proposal is bipartisan. Then, it makes democrats look bad. I wonder if this may do more damage to the democrats than losing his vote would. It would be better if Chafee and Miller both switched. Neither really fit with their party on almost any issues.

[goobergunch]

20. CQ published their "party unity" scores back in June...

Zell Miller got a 3.7%. Even Ben Nelson broke 50%.

[ButterflyBlood]

22. What did Chaffee have?

n/t

[last_texas_dem]

27. 3.7% IS pathetic!

I bet several Repugs have more "unity" with the Democratic Party than Zig-Zag Zell.

I'm someone who believes a conservative who caucases with the Dems is better than a conservative who caucases with the 'pugs, but I have lost whatever small amount of respect I ever had for Zell. He has gone from being a conservative Democrat to being a Bush groupie. And there are major differences between supporting an ideologically conservative agenda and supporting the * agenda.

[ButterflyBlood]

21. I really doubt McCain can lose

even the hardcore Freepers there hate him, the independents and even a lot of Democrats love him. He won with 68% in 1998. The only chance of beating him was if like in Pennsylvania he had a far right primary challenger like was mentioned as a possibility, but right now that's been pretty much ruled out.

[VermontDem2004]

31. I agree

He actually won with 69% of the vote but I hate nitpicking, McCain also picked up 41% of the democrat vote, he also picked up 69% of the independent vote. But hardcore freepers along with a few democrats tried to recall John McCain in 2001, but the effort failed.

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=\Politics\archive\200107\POL20010712a.html

McCain is up for re-election in 2004, and the "Recall John McCain Committee" can't wait that long to get him out. Marcia Reagan, a Mesa, Ariz., Republican and a member of the conservative Free Republic political group, heads the group.

[ButterflyBlood]

19. No, Bush has a 0% chance of re-election

the only way he could be re-elected is if he ever was elected in the first place.

[Hippo_Tron]

29. If we underestimate him

He will win the next election. We need to learn from our mistakes from 2002 and get VERY serious about winning this next election.

[CMT]

15. My prefered choice would be Udall, but I think Hart would do well

He has experience and name recognition. He is very good on the issues. I think that he could take on Ben Campbell.

[ButterflyBlood]

23. I doubt Udall could win

Campbell is a bit of a centrist in a state that leans conservative while Udall's an ultra-liberal from a part of the state the rest regards as very out of touch.

[NewJerseyDem]

30. Udall did well in recent poll

I saw on the Washington Journal that in a poll in the Rocky Mountain News Mark Udall would lose to Ben Campbell by only 5 points. That is really good for someone trying to oust an incumbent. Campbell had 45% to Udall's 40%. So I wouldn't rule out Mark Udall yet.

[ButterflyBlood]

24. An additional advantage to a Hart candidacy

is that it would maximize Democratic turnout. That gives us a better shot at winning Colorado.

[mndemocrat_29]

26. Hart would be a good candidate

He's great at turning out the vote and is still well-liked in Colorado. I'm sure enough time has passed that 'Monkey Business' won't be a serious issue in the campaign (though I know that Campbell and his Repuke thugs will bring it up).

[PROGRESSIVE1]

28. Gary, Gary, Gary....

I hope he does run. His affair is OLD NEWS!!! He is a great voice on Security issues!!! He would make a great senator once again!!!