[Hoot Gibson]

The history lesson of the 2012 non-binding GOP Colorado Caucuses continues. Next, a first hand account from Colorado author and Republican delegate in both 2012 and 2016, John Daly. (The title is Mr. Daly's, not mine.)

BTW, the sources of the two articles in my previous post on this same subject were the New York Times and the Denver Post. Now, let's hear from somebody who participated in the 2012 Colorado GOP Caucuses.

Ignorant Outrage Over the Colorado GOP Caucus Vote

As a Colorado Republican who had caucused in prior years’ elections, I was a bit disappointed back in August when I learned that the state’s GOP executive committee was cancelling this year’s presidential preference poll.

As a matter of curiosity, it would have been nice to find out which candidate my state was leaning toward on March 1. As a matter of pride, it would have been pleasant to hear the results reported on the national news, and discussed by national pundits. As a matter of practicality, however, it wouldn’t have served any meaningful purpose to either the voters or the candidates — something that’s been true for many years in this state.

You see, contrary to the impression that many people have been left with over the past couple of days, Colorado’s traditional caucus-night poll had never been a binding, primary-like election. That’s not how it worked. It was a simple straw-poll — nothing more, nothing less. It wasn’t the process used to distribute delegates to the candidates.

The nomination procedure in this state has been driven by the election of representatives for over a hundred years (except for from 1992 to 2002). It starts with grassroots caucus attendees from local precincts voting on congressional-district delegates (their neighbors) to represent them, and ends at the state convention a few weeks later when the representatives finish selecting national delegates to back a candidate at the national convention.

Is it an easy process for outsiders to understand? No. As a delegate myself (both this year and in 2012), and therefore a functioning component of the process, even I find it confusing. I would much prefer a standard primary in my state.

That being said, the rabid, widespread claims of conspiratorial corruption being responsible for Donald Trump’s crushing defeat on Saturday has come from remarkable ignorance. Either that, or willful deception.

Next, an article from another Colorado newspaper, the Colorado Observer. (The newspaper stop publishing in 2014.)

Colorado Republicans Prepare for High Profile, Non-Binding Caucus

DENVER, CO – It’s politics at the most personal level, as Colorado Republicans gather tomorrow at their precinct caucuses to discuss and profess support for each of the four remaining GOP presidential candidates with their neighbors, and for the second time in four years, vote in a non-binding straw poll.

Most political observers expect former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, winner of Saturday’s Nevada caucus, to roll to another victory in Colorado. Such an outcome would make Romney 2-for-2 in the state’s preference poll after his 2008 romp.

Romney garnered just over 60 percent of the vote in Colorado’s 2008 straw poll, easily outpacing the eventual nominee, Sen. John McCain, by more than forty points. But while his support in Colorado remained considerable, Romney decided to end his campaign just days later, on February 7, 2008.

What a difference four years could make for Team Romney.

Clearly, Romney hopes that a Rocky Mountain repeat will provide a boost with delegates and demonstrate a major sign of campaign momentum, with contests in Minnesota and Missouri also taking place Tuesday night. With just one debate remaining in February and the month’s remaining contests three weeks away, an impressive Colorado victory would go a long way in making the path to the nomination for each of the remaining GOP rivals increasingly difficult.

There has been little polling in the state relative to the other early contests, but the most recent Public Policy Polling survey of likely Republican caucus voters shows Romney with a commanding lead over former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, 40 to 26 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Representative Ron Paul carve up the remaining votes, with 18 percent and 12 percent respectively.

Among the four, Romney’s supporters are the most committed, but Santorum holds slight edges over the frontrunner in three important Republican constituencies: Tea Party supporters, Evangelicals, and self-described “very conservative” voters. But PPP also detected volatility among those likely caucus-goers, with 33 percent indicating they could change their candidate preference between Saturday, the day PPP conducted the survey, and Tuesday evening.

While Romney won the Nevada caucus, hovering just around the symbolic 5o percent mark, his perceived strength in Colorado will be put to the test. His campaign has earned a raft of top-level endorsements by the state’s GOP luminaries. But with three strong anybody-but-Romney candidates in Santorum, Gingrich, and Paul—representing different factions within the Republican primary and caucus electorate—splitting the “anybody but Romney,” the question will really not be about a Romney victory, that seems to be a foregone conclusion.

What political observers will try to ascertain is how the other three candidates split the non-Romney vote—and whether Santorum or Gingrich can begin to put distance between himself and the other to possibly force the other out of the race, and in enough time to make a real play for delegates. Paul remains formidable and should not be disregarded, whether one views him as a spoiler in the race or as a necessary libertarian influence, effectively giving voice to the more disaffected Republicans who vowed “never again” following the nomination of McCain four years ago.

Regardless of the outcome Tuesday, Colorado’s caucus procedure remains relatively unique, combining a traditional precinct caucus and state assembly process with a new, Iowa-like straw poll. To comply with RNC rules, the poll is non-binding, and delegates for the national convention will not be formally selected until April.

Lost yet? I asked Ryan Call, State Chairman of the Colorado Republican Party, to explain.

“Colorado has been holding precinct caucuses and party assemblies for over a hundred years to select party candidates and local party leaders,” explained Call.

Unlike primary states and other winner-take-all schemes employed around the country, Colorado’s caucus and assembly structure spreads the delegate selection over many months:

“A total of 36 delegates will be chosen to represent Colorado at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida in August – 3 delegates will be elected in each of Colorado’s seven congressional district assemblies in early April, and 12 delegates will be elected at the state assembly and convention on April 14, 2012, joining three party leaders (State Chairman, RNC Committeeman and RNC Committeewoman) as delegates under the RNC rules that will cast votes to designate the Republican candidates for President and Vice-President and adopt a national party platform,” Call elaborated.

To get elected delegate to the national convention, however, requires participation at the earlier precinct caucus and county assemblies. But recent memory points to a drastically different system of conducting Republican Party selection of Presidential nominees, and has led to confusion in both 2008 and this year as well.

“For a short time, Colorado held a Presidential primary in the spring during the Presidential election years of 1992, 1996 and 2000. But in 2002, the state legislature changed the state statute to eliminate the early Presidential primary election and return the selection of delegates to the national nominating conventions back over to the respective political parties,” said Call. He continued, “The principal arguments at the time were that eliminating the Presidential primary would save the state millions of dollars, and that it was really the responsibility of the party committees to run their own nomination process and select delegates to the national conventions under their respective party rules.”

Originally scheduled for March, Colorado’s 2008 caucus was moved forward to February 5, 2008, joining 24 other states in “Super Tuesday” voting. Republicans voted to once again move the date forward one month at a meeting last fall, skirting RNC rules penalizing states moving up their caucuses by ensuring the results remain non-binding.
February 6, 2012

If anybody wants to the truth about whether the Colorado GOP held a binding primary election or non-binding caucuses, then the information to which I have linked should remove all doubt. Not everybody is interested in the truth. For those people, I will continue to post information supporting my position. Furthermore, I challenge anybody who still believes that the straw poll taken during the Colorado GOP Caucuses bound delegates based on the of the poll, then I challenge you to post links to reputable sources that support resultsyour view of history. (A list of Trump supporter names is not evidence.)