Face the State

An Interview with Dick Wadhams
Face the State Staff Report

DENVER - As Republican activists prepare for caucuses a full six weeks earlier than they are accustomed to, their party chief is asking county leaders to take a more active role in gauging attendee opinion on presidential candidates.

In an interview with Face the State, Colorado GOP Chairman Dick Wadhams said he anticipates that caucus goers will take part in presidential preference polling—similar to what was seen in last week’s highly publicized Iowa caucuses, where Republican Mike Huckabee and Democrat Barack Obama took top honors.

“I’ve asked each county chair to take a presidential preference poll at the beginning of each caucus,” he said, cautioning that the system might not be perfect the first go around. “I assume that people will want to say a few words on behalf of their favorite candidate, but then go ahead and vote.”

Wadhams was a supporter of moving the caucuses from March 18 to their new date of Feb. 5, saying it will help make Colorado relevant as one of several states that will effectively nominate their party’s candidates that day.

“It’s ‘Super Tuesday’ and there are 22 states that have Republican primaries or caucuses that day and 21 that have Democrat primaries or caucuses that day at last count,” he said. “It will give Colorado some voice in the selection of our nominee. . . .by the time we hit Feb. 5, there will be a kind of fever pitch [nationally] on this whole presidential nominating process.”

Wadhams said he hopes the earlier date and the excitement generated by the national trend toward earlier caucus and primary dates will prompt a lot of people who have never attended their caucuses to do so.

When asked which candidates will be left standing after Feb. 5, Wadhams said only, “I believe both parties will nominate candidates that night. I can’t see how anybody will be left standing after February 5th, financially or politically. So we’re definitely going to be a part of the analysis.”