Colo.’s No. 2 Finishes 4th in GOP Primary

In two years, Lt. Gov. Joe Rogers has gone from sharing the limelight with George W. Bush at the Republican National Convention to finishing dead last in a four-way congressional primary.

Rogers, the nation’s highest-ranking black Republican in a statewide elected office, was dogged by questions about his finances and feuds with state and national party leaders before Tuesday’s primary.

He finished with 13% of the total--3,416 votes--in the race to fill the newly created 7th Congressional District in suburban Denver.

“It has really been an incredible roller coaster ride the last two years, all the way down for Joe Rogers,” pollster Floyd Ciruli said.

Bob Beauprez, a former state GOP chairman with no experience in elected office, won the nomination with 10,153 votes, or 38%. Rick O’Donnell, former director of the Governor’s Office of Policy and Initiatives, had 8,203 votes, or 31%; former state Sen. Sam Zakhem garnered 4,836 votes, or 18%.

Rogers skipped Wednesday’s party unity rally and did not return calls seeking comment.

He was a key speaker at the 2000 Republican National Convention and was seen as a symbol of the GOP’s new strategy of inclusion. But he ran for Congress amid a long-standing feud with Gov. Bill Owens over office spending. Rogers also refused to repay the state $5,800 for questionable expenses after he was criticized by auditors.

The Republican governor is also running for reelection and is expected to name a running mate this week. He has said it will not be Rogers.

In February, Rogers angered national party officials by saying he had been encouraged to run for the House seat by prominent Republicans including Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and House Majority Leader Dick Armey of Texas. The White House said it did not back any candidates in the primary.

Beauprez will face former Democratic state Sen. Mike Feeley in November in a race that is being watched as Republicans and Democrats battle for control of the House. More than a third of the voters in the new district are unaffiliated with either party; the rest are divided almost evenly between them.

In the 4th Congressional District, state Sen. Marilyn Musgrave won the GOP nomination and will face Democrat Stan Matsunaka in the race to succeed GOP Rep. Bob Schaffer.