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<font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">wiki MANY flags:</font></div><div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Bruce Davey Benson</b> became president of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Colorado" title="University of Colorado" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">University of Colorado</a> (CU) in March 2008. The CU university system encompasses four campuses: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CU-Boulder" class="mw-redirect" title="CU-Boulder" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">CU-Boulder</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Colorado_Denver" title="University of Colorado Denver" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">CU Denver</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Colorado_Colorado_Springs" title="University of Colorado Colorado Springs" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">CU Colorado Springs</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Colorado_Anschutz_Medical_Campus" class="mw-redirect" title="University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">CU Anschutz Medical Campus</a> in Aurora, Colo.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 7px; font-size: 13.3px; display: table; zoom: 1; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249);"><div id="toctitle" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><h2 style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: none; font-size: 13.3px; display: inline; line-height: 1.3; background: none;">Contents</h2> <span class="toctoggle" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: 12.502px;"> [<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_D.Benson#" id="togglelink" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">hide</a>] </span></div><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_D.Benson#Early_career" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">1</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Early career</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_D.Benson#Tenure" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">2</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Tenure</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_D.Benson#Education" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">3</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Education</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_D.Benson#Controversies" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">4</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Controversies</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_D.Benson#Political_life" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">5</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Political life</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_D.Benson#Personal_life" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">6</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">Personal life</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_D.Benson#References" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">7</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">References</span></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_D.Benson#External_links" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="tocnumber" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0.5em;">8</span><span class="toctext" style="display: table-cell; text-decoration: inherit;">External links</span></a></li></ul></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: "Linux Libertine", Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="Early_career">Early career</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bruce_D.Benson&action=edit§ion=1&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Early career" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Benson was a successful businessman who was active in a variety of educational, civic and political activities at the state and national levels. In 1965, he founded Benson Mineral Group, an oil and gas exploration and production company.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Since then, his business interests have expanded to include banking, mortgage servicing, real estate development and management, geothermal power, manufacturing, trucking, restaurants and cable television. In 2009 he was inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Benson has sat on boards of directors of dozens of companies, including United States Exploration, American Land Lease Corporation, Western Capital Investment Corporation and First Interstate Bank of Denver.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Three different Colorado governors have named Benson to educational initiatives and governing boards, all of which he chaired: the Colorado Commission on Higher Education (1985–89), <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_State_College" class="mw-redirect" title="Metropolitan State College" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Metropolitan State College</a> Board of Trustees (2003–07), P-20 Education Coordinating Council (2007–08) and the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel for Higher Education (2001–03). Outside Colorado, he was board chair of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkshire_School" title="Berkshire School" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Berkshire School</a> in Massachusetts (1984–94) and also served on the board of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_College" title="Smith College" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Smith College</a> (1988–95).</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Nationally, Benson was a member of the Board of Directors of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Park_Service" title="National Park Service" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">National Park Service</a> and was confirmed by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Senate" class="mw-redirect" title="US Senate" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">US Senate</a> as a member of the National Endowment for the Humanities.</p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: "Linux Libertine", Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="Tenure">Tenure</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bruce_D.Benson&action=edit§ion=2&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Tenure" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">During Benson’s tenure, CU’s <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cu.edu/content/recordresearchfunding" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%20standalone%3D%22no%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2212%22%20height%3D%2212%22%3E%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%20d%3D%22M1.5%204.518h5.982V10.5H1.5z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M5.765%201H11v5.39L9.427%207.937l-1.31-1.31L5.393%209.35l-2.69-2.688%202.81-2.808L4.2%202.544z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M9.995%202.004l.022%204.885L8.2%205.07%205.32%207.95%204.09%206.723l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E");">research funding has reached record levels</a> in each of the past several years (including a best-ever $884 million in 2010-11), supporting the university’s research strengths in biotechnology, health care, renewable and sustainable energy, and aerospace engineering, among others. He has led efforts to promote cross-campus collaboration that have resulted in cooperative academic programs and research initiatives, most notably <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://biofrontiers.colorado.edu/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%20standalone%3D%22no%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2212%22%20height%3D%2212%22%3E%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%20d%3D%22M1.5%204.518h5.982V10.5H1.5z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M5.765%201H11v5.39L9.427%207.937l-1.31-1.31L5.393%209.35l-2.69-2.688%202.81-2.808L4.2%202.544z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M9.995%202.004l.022%204.885L8.2%205.07%205.32%207.95%204.09%206.723l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E");">CU’s Biofrontiers Institute</a>, led by Nobel laureate Tom Cech.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Benson and his wife, Marcy Head Benson, chaired CU’s $1.5 billion <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cufund.org/campaign/?PHPSESSIONID=d2dd7b59ce416b8ec6366ffb23074bac" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%20standalone%3D%22no%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2212%22%20height%3D%2212%22%3E%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%20d%3D%22M1.5%204.518h5.982V10.5H1.5z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M5.765%201H11v5.39L9.427%207.937l-1.31-1.31L5.393%209.35l-2.69-2.688%202.81-2.808L4.2%202.544z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M9.995%202.004l.022%204.885L8.2%205.07%205.32%207.95%204.09%206.723l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E");">Creating Futures fundraising campaign</a>, which was publicly announced in April 2011 and concluded in November 2013 with $1.53 billion in donations to support scholarships, academic enhancements (endowed faculty positions, programs), research projects and capital improvements across CU’s campuses.</p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Benson has guided efforts to successfully institute operational efficiencies, cut bureaucracy and improve business practices at the university. CU has secured legislation in the Colorado General Assembly that has allowed it to save millions annually in areas such as procurement, insurance and construction. He has also established a number of public-private partnerships to make the university more entrepreneurial and meet the needs of businesses in Colorado and across the country.</p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: "Linux Libertine", Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="Education">Education</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bruce_D.Benson&action=edit§ion=3&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Education" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Benson earned his bachelor’s degree in geology from CU in 1964. Benson has received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from CU in 2004.</p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: "Linux Libertine", Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="Controversies">Controversies</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bruce_D.Benson&action=edit§ion=4&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Controversies" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Benson was selected as CU president amid concerns among the CU faculty and community members because to his lack of academic pedigree and for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_denial" title="Climate change denial" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">climate change denial</a>, close connection to partisan politics (Benson unsuccessfully ran for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Colorado" title="Governor of Colorado" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Governor of Colorado</a> as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party(United_States)" title="Republican Party (United States)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Republican</a> nominee in 1994), and close ties to the oil and gas industry.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_D.Benson#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[1]</a></sup></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In 2012 after the State of Colorado passed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Amendment_64" title="Colorado Amendment 64" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Colorado Amendment 64</a> legalizing the use of recreational <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marijuana" class="mw-redirect" title="Marijuana" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">marijuana</a>, Benson used student and alumni email lists to decry the passage of the amendment, commenting on his personal disapproval of the amendment and erroneously suggesting that the CU system would lose federal funding because of its passage.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" style="line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_D.Benson#cite_note-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">[2]</a></sup></p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: "Linux Libertine", Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="Political_life">Political life</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bruce_D.Benson&action=edit§ion=5&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Political life" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Benson was the chairman of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_Republican_Party" title="Colorado Republican Party" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">Colorado Republican Party</a> from 1987 to 1993 and was the Republican nominee for Colorado governor in an unsuccessful 1994 bid.</p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: "Linux Libertine", Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="Personal_life">Personal life</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bruce_D.Benson&action=edit§ion=6&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: Personal life" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In addition to his wife, Marcy, he has three children and 10 grandchildren.</p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: "Linux Libertine", Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="References">References</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bruce_D.Benson&action=edit§ion=7&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: References" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><div class="reflist" style="font-size: 12.6px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); list-style-type: decimal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><ol class="references" style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 3.2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none; font-size: 12.6px; list-style-type: inherit;"><li id="cite_note-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_D.Benson#cite_ref-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="-webkit-user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Martin, Jim. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_8187783" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%20standalone%3D%22no%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2212%22%20height%3D%2212%22%3E%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%20d%3D%22M1.5%204.518h5.982V10.5H1.5z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M5.765%201H11v5.39L9.427%207.937l-1.31-1.31L5.393%209.35l-2.69-2.688%202.81-2.808L4.2%202.544z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M9.995%202.004l.022%204.885L8.2%205.07%205.32%207.95%204.09%206.723l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E");">"CU can do better than Bruce Benson"</a>. Denver Post.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABruce+D.+Benson&rft.aufirst=Jim&rft.aulast=Martin&rft.btitle=CU+can+do+better+than+Bruce+Benson&rft.genre=unknown&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.denverpost.com%2Fopinion%2Fci_8187783&rft.pub=Denver+Post&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook" class="Z3988" /></span></li><li id="cite_note-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><span class="mw-cite-backlink" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_D.Benson#cite_ref-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;"><span class="cite-accessibility-label" style="-webkit-user-select: none; top: -99999px; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px); overflow: hidden; position: absolute !important; padding: 0px !important; border: 0px !important; height: 1px !important; width: 1px !important;">Jump up</span></a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation news" style="font-style: inherit; word-wrap: break-word;">Rubino, Joe (12/08/2012). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_22150601" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%20standalone%3D%22no%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2212%22%20height%3D%2212%22%3E%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%20d%3D%22M1.5%204.518h5.982V10.5H1.5z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M5.765%201H11v5.39L9.427%207.937l-1.31-1.31L5.393%209.35l-2.69-2.688%202.81-2.808L4.2%202.544z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M9.995%202.004l.022%204.885L8.2%205.07%205.32%207.95%204.09%206.723l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E");">"Jared Polis blasts Bruce Benson for claims CU could lose $1B over Amendment 64"</a>. <i>Boulder Daily Camera</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ABruce+D.+Benson&rft.atitle=Jared+Polis+blasts+Bruce+Benson+for+claims+CU+could+lose+%241B+over+Amendment+64&rft.aufirst=Joe&rft.aulast=Rubino&rft.chron=12%2F08%2F2012&rft.genre=article&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailycamera.com%2Fci_22150601&rft.jtitle=Boulder+Daily+Camera&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal" class="Z3988" /> <span class="error citation-comment" style="font-size: 12.6px; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Check date values in: <code style="font-family: monospace, Courier; color: inherit; border: inherit; border-radius: 2px; padding: inherit; background-color: rgb(249, 249, 249);">|date=</code> (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#bad_date" title="Help:CS1 errors" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">help</a>)</span></span></li></ol></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: 22.4px; color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">University Relations, Office of the President, University of Colorado</p><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); font-family: "Linux Libertine", Georgia, Times, serif; line-height: 1.3; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="mw-headline" id="External_links">External links</span><span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-size: small; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; unicode-bidi: isolate; font-family: sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-right: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bruce_D.Benson&action=edit§ion=8&editintro=Template:BLP_editintro" title="Edit section: External links" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background: none;">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left: 0.25em; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);">]</span></span></h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url("data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%3F%3E%0A%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20version%3D%221.1%22%20width%3D%225%22%20height%3D%2213%22%3E%0A%3Ccircle%20cx%3D%222.5%22%20cy%3D%229.5%22%20r%3D%222.5%22%20fill%3D%22%2300528c%22%2F%3E%0A%3C%2Fsvg%3E%0A"); color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cu.edu/" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%20standalone%3D%22no%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2212%22%20height%3D%2212%22%3E%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%20d%3D%22M1.5%204.518h5.982V10.5H1.5z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M5.765%201H11v5.39L9.427%207.937l-1.31-1.31L5.393%209.35l-2.69-2.688%202.81-2.808L4.2%202.544z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M9.995%202.004l.022%204.885L8.2%205.07%205.32%207.95%204.09%206.723l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E");">University of Colorado System</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.cusys.edu/universityrelations/BruceBenson_CV.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 18px; background: url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif") right center no-repeat;">CV</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_8277609" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%20standalone%3D%22no%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2212%22%20height%3D%2212%22%3E%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%20d%3D%22M1.5%204.518h5.982V10.5H1.5z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M5.765%201H11v5.39L9.427%207.937l-1.31-1.31L5.393%209.35l-2.69-2.688%202.81-2.808L4.2%202.544z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M9.995%202.004l.022%204.885L8.2%205.07%205.32%207.95%204.09%206.723l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E");">Benson speaks his mind</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2010/06/commentary_conference_realignm.html" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%20standalone%3D%22no%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2212%22%20height%3D%2212%22%3E%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%20d%3D%22M1.5%204.518h5.982V10.5H1.5z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M5.765%201H11v5.39L9.427%207.937l-1.31-1.31L5.393%209.35l-2.69-2.688%202.81-2.808L4.2%202.544z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M9.995%202.004l.022%204.885L8.2%205.07%205.32%207.95%204.09%206.723l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E");">Commentary: Conference realignment is all about the money</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/26/us/republicans-name-donors-of-7.1-million-to-party.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%20standalone%3D%22no%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2212%22%20height%3D%2212%22%3E%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%20d%3D%22M1.5%204.518h5.982V10.5H1.5z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M5.765%201H11v5.39L9.427%207.937l-1.31-1.31L5.393%209.35l-2.69-2.688%202.81-2.808L4.2%202.544z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M9.995%202.004l.022%204.885L8.2%205.07%205.32%207.95%204.09%206.723l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E");">Republicans Name Donors of $7.1 Million to Party</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.cusys.edu/newsletter/2011/04-27/creating-futures.html" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(102, 51, 102); padding-right: 13px; background: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent) right center no-repeat, url("data:image/svg+xml,%3C%3Fxml%20version%3D%221.0%22%20encoding%3D%22UTF-8%22%20standalone%3D%22no%22%3F%3E%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2212%22%20height%3D%2212%22%3E%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20stroke%3D%22%2306c%22%20d%3D%22M1.5%204.518h5.982V10.5H1.5z%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M5.765%201H11v5.39L9.427%207.937l-1.31-1.31L5.393%209.35l-2.69-2.688%202.81-2.808L4.2%202.544z%22%20fill%3D%22%2306f%22%2F%3E%3Cpath%20d%3D%22M9.995%202.004l.022%204.885L8.2%205.07%205.32%207.95%204.09%206.723l2.882-2.88-1.85-1.852z%22%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E");">Leaders stress ties that bind at announcement of $1.5 billion campaign</a></li></ul></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Bruce D. Benson was born July 4, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois. Benson attended Cornell University before transferring to the University of Colorado. He graduated in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in geology, and then attended graduate school at the University of Colorado and the Colorado School of Mines.</span><br style="line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><br style="line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><span style="line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Benson is the owner and chairman of<b> Benson Mineral Group</b> Inc, an oil and gas exploration and production company that also owns several other oil and gas related companies. Benson has also been involved in geothermal power, real estate, banking, mortgage servicing, cable television, real estate investment trusts, restaurants, franchising, manufacturing and trucking in his long career.</span><br style="line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><br style="line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><span style="line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Since graduation from CU, Benson has divided his time between business, community service and politics. His corporate involvement has included chairman of the board and CEO of<b> United States Exploration Inc. (AMEX)</b> and serving as a board member of many other companies, including <b>American Land Lease Corporation</b> (NYSE), Asset Investors Corporation (NYSE), Bank Western (Western Capital-AMEX), First Interstate Bank of Denver and Hazen Research Inc.</span></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: merriweather, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5625em; margin: 0px 0px 2em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">United States Exploration, Inc. is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development, production and marketing of natural gas and crude oil. The company’s reserves and producing properties are located in northeast Colorado. The company’s common stock trades on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol UXP.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: merriweather, serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5625em; margin: 0px 0px 2em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Lime Rock Partners, based in Westport, Connecticut, is a private equity firm with over $420 million under management dedicated to investing in energy companies with high growth potential. With offices in the major energy centers of North America and Western Europe, Lime Rock targets growth equity investments in companies involved in oil field services, oil field technology, midstream services and exploration and production.</p></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">denver post</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>....</b></font></div><div><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Trailhead raised roughly $5.2 million, part of which funded controversial ads hammering Democrats, including Gov. Bill Ritter.</b></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Benson said he wasn’t involved with Trailhead’s daily decisions, regrets some of its actions and has tried in recent weeks to make amends with some of its targets.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Although he said he’s tired of being the Trailhead “whipping boy,” Benson’s connection to the now-defunct group has doggedly followed him.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I believe that we are accountable for what we do,” said state Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, once a target of Trailhead and now vice chairman of the state’s purse strings on the Joint Budget Committee. “It doesn’t quite fly that he says he wasn’t responsible for that.”</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Buescher said Benson never reached out to him, until now, to distance himself from the negative attacks during Buescher’s run for the statehouse.</b></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A recent meeting between the two did not exactly persuade Buescher to throw his support behind Benson, but he said, “I’ve moved a little bit.”</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">A coalition-builder</font></i></span></p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" /></span><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);" /></i></font><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" /></i>Benson’s ability to get a foe like Buescher to move at all speaks to what many consider one of Benson’s big skills — he can build coalitions and attract support from unlikely camps.</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Perhaps most famously, Benson nudged Republican friends like Owens and Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce president Joe Blake to support Referendums C and D as part of a bipartisan effort in 2005 to ease constitutional spending limits.</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Less famously, he has successfully won the respect of political opponents because of his ability to work in a nonpartisan manner when needed.</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the early 1990s, Democrat Peggy Lamm twice felt the sting of Benson’s political clout when she campaigned for a legislative seat. But as a member of the Colorado <b>Commission on Higher Education (CCHE),</b> she also worked with him.</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I do remember several ‘aha’ moments, that this was not just this political guy,” she said. “It’s hard, because this is a guy who was trying to take me out a few years ago. You have a natural skepticism.”</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Now she sees that mirrored among many in her party.</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I do understand how it feels,” Lamm said. “It was ugly. They said awful, terrible things about me. And it does take awhile to get beyond that. But you take help sometimes from places you’d be surprised about.”</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Benson’s introduction to the CCHE arrived in 1985, when he was appointed by Gov. Dick Lamm, a Democrat who was seeking a moderate Republican for the board.</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">To Lamm’s surprise and delight, Benson attacked the role with nonpartisan fervor. He proved a quick study on the CCHE and its powers, acted as a staunch advocate for higher education and helped shield its budget from legislative cuts.</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lamm said he will write a letter of support for Benson — albeit with qualms — to CU’s Board of Regents. Like many other Democrats, he’s troubled by the Trailhead factor.</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">But with CU losing roughly $20 million in state funding since 2002, these are dire times.</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“It’s not a conventional appointment, and it’s a guy I have some real worries about,” Dick Lamm said. “But look, you don’t have a perfect selection atmosphere. This has got to be a time of risk-taking.”</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Personal style cuts both ways</font></i></span></i></i></p><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" /></span><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);" /></i></font></i></i><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" /></i>Benson’s head-on personal style can cut both ways in the political arena, said Katy Atkinson, a Republican consultant who ran Benson’s only campaign for office — a failed 1994 bid for governor.</font></i></i></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“Someone who presents himself as an enemy becomes a challenge for Bruce to find common ground with that person,” she said. “The tricky part is to figure out when to stop pushing because they’re digging their heels in more. Bruce hates to stop pushing. He doesn’t want to accept no.”</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">His unpolitic and unvarnished remarks have occasionally landed him in trouble.</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>After he took the helm of the board of trustees at Metropolitan State College of Denver, 10-year president Sheila Kaplan resigned following disagreements with the board. Benson later settled a $25,000 lawsuit after making disparaging comments in violation of her severance deal.</b></font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien, who has worked with Benson on the governor’s education initiative, said his lack of diplomacy is both his strength and his weakness.</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“He speaks his mind, which I value,” she said. “But I guess it would do him better if he would stop and be more diplomatic.”</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>At one recent student forum, where oil barrels had been hauled into the room as props, a young questioner asked whether Benson would divest himself of his oil and gas interests if he were president.</b></font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>“We’ll shut it off and see what happens,” Benson snapped sarcastically.</b></font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">It was another example of his tendency to say exactly what is in his head, without regard to the audience, much as he did when he<b> suggested to a group of CU professors that climate change might be bunk.</b></font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);">At 69, Benson has made his fortune in business ventures such as oil and gas, banking and pizza parlors. His history of political activity, awards and </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">honors, such as CU’s naming its Earth Sciences building for him</span><span style="background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);">, reflects a willingness to share that wealth — and raise millions more from others who move in his circles.</span></font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">His community involvement, especially in recent years, has focused heavily on education. But he also has veered into causes as varied as the Denver Zoo and the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Boy Scouts and bond issues to reinforce Denver’s infrastructure.</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">From his early days in the oil patch to his current quest for the CU presidency, his motivation has remained the common denominator.</font></i></i></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I love challenges,” Benson said....</font></i></i></p></div><div><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></i></i></i></i><div><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 28px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(26, 26, 26); background-color: rgb(250, 250, 250);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">...<span style="line-height: 24.7px;">The criminal investigation was launched last month after Morse, who is challenging Republican incumbent state Sen. Ed Jones,</span><span style="line-height: 24.7px;"> </span><a href="http://coloradoindependent.com/613/morse-ads-spark-criminal-inquiry" style="line-height: inherit; text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none; transition-property: color; transition-duration: 0.25s; transition-timing-function: linear;">filed a complaint with the DA’s office alleging the Trailhead Group broke the law</a><span style="line-height: 24.7px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 24.7px;">by producing ads and mailers misstating the outcome of a criminal case that occurred while he was Chief of Police of Fountain.</span></font></i></i></i></i></div><p style="margin: 0px 15px 5px 0px; padding: 5px 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24.7px; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">As detailed on Sept. 13 by Colorado Confidential, the ads aired on several Colorado Springs radio stations, as well as in the form of glossy mailers sent to potential voters in state senate District 11, where Morse is running against Republican incumbent Ed Jones in one of the top targeted legislative races for both Republicans and Democrats in Colorado.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 15px 5px 0px; padding: 5px 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24.7px; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">If Philp ultimately is charged, it would mark the first time that a district attorney in Colorado has applied a law, passed by the Legislature last year, and signed into law by Gov. Bill Owens, that makes it a <a href="http://coloradoindependent.com/613/morse-ads-spark-criminal-inquiry" style="text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; outline: none; transition-property: color; transition-duration: 0.25s; transition-timing-function: linear;">Class 2 misdemeanor to recklessly publish or broadcast false statements relating to any candidate running for public office</a>.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 15px 5px 0px; padding: 5px 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24.7px; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A Class 2 misdemeanor carries penalties of up to a year in jail and $1,000 in fines.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 15px 5px 0px; padding: 5px 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 24.7px; vertical-align: baseline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Notably, Gov. Owens is also the founder of the accused Trailhead Group, one of the wealthiest 527 groups in the country. Philp, who served as director of the Colorado Republican Party in 2002, later ran a think tank founded by Owens; he became Trailhead’s director last year....</font></p><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font><div><span style="line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">At the rate this is going, we’re going to need a special wing in prison. Now it’s Trailhead Group director Alan “There’s No i In” Philp who’s facing the authorities. From The Denver Post: Alan Philp, executive director of the Trailhead Group, is expected to be charged criminally this morning in El Paso County for airing a political ad that was “recklessly and willfully false,” according to a Trailhead attorney. Attorney John Zakhem, who represents Trailhead, a conservative campaign group organized by Gov. Bill Owens and wealthy Republicans, confirmed that Philp will be charged this morning. Attorney Scott Gessler, who is a friend of Philp’s, said in an e-mail, said he will be charged with a misdemeanor for recklessly or willfully making a false statement intended to influence an election. “This is the first time to my knowledge that this charge has been (filed) by a district attorney,” Zakhem said… …Gessler said the flap started with John P. Morse, former chief of police in Fountain and now a Democratic candidate for the state senate from El Paso County, who recently filed a complaint against Trailhead because of an ad the group ran against Morse. The ad incorrectly stated that Morse was responsible for reducing 14 felony charges down to a misdemeanor charge of menacing, Gessler said. In fact, the 14 felonies had been reduced down to a felony charge of menacing. - See more at: http://coloradopols.com/diary/1998/its-getting-crowded-in-here#sthash.wQSCUYRV.dpuf</font></span></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">http://www.denverpost.com/2016/07/06/bill-armstrong-colorado-dies/</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/The_Trailhead_Group,LLC</font></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><div id="mw-content-text" lang="en" dir="ltr" class="mw-content-ltr" style="direction: ltr; line-height: 22.4px;"><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>The Trailhead Group, LLC</b> is a <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/527_committee" title="527 committee" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">527 committee</a> whose founders include Colorado <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Republican_Party" title="Republican Party" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Republican</a> "Gov. Bill Owens; well-heeled [Denver] oilman Bruce Benson; and [Golden] beer baron </font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Pete Coors,</font><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> who lost the <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/U.S.Senate" title="U.S. Senate" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">U.S. Senate</a> race in 2004 to <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Ken_Salazar" title="Ken Salazar" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Ken Salazar</a>." "Trailhead is helping target <a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Democratic_Party" title="Democratic Party" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Democrats</a> for defeat." <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_4374054,00.html" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" background-attachment="background-attachment" initial="initial" background-size="background-size" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" repeat="repeat" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cg="Cg" transform="transform" translate="translate" crect="Crect" x="x" y="y" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" cpath="Cpath" m831.194="M831.194" h5.234v5.391l-1.571="h5.234v5.391l-1.571" z="z" m835.424="M835.424" l.022="l.022" fg="Fg" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">[1]</a></font></p><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;" /><div id="toc" class="toc" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 7px; display: table; zoom: 1;"><div id="toctitle" style="direction: ltr; text-align: center;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><h2 style="margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border: none; display: inline; line-height: 1.3; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Contents</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></h2> <span class="toctoggle" style="-webkit-user-select: none;"> [<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/The_Trailhead_Group,LLC#" id="togglelink" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">hide</a>] </span></div><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/The_Trailhead_Group,LLC#Related_SourceWatch_Resources" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Related SourceWatch Resources</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/The_Trailhead_Group,LLC#External_links" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">External links</span></font></a><ul style="list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: none;"><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/The_Trailhead_Group,LLC#Websites" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="tocnumber">2.1</span> <span class="toctext">Websites</span></font></a></li><li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-4" style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/The_Trailhead_Group,LLC#Articles.26_Commentary" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="tocnumber">2.2</span> <span class="toctext">Articles & Commentary</span></font></a></li></ul></li></ul></div><p style="margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;" /><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170);" linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height" background="background" none="none"><span class="mw-headline" id="Related_SourceWatch_Resources" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Related SourceWatch Resources</font></span></h2><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Soft_money" title="Soft money" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">soft money</font></a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/U.S.congressional_elections_in_2006" title="U.S. congressional elections in 2006" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">U.S. congressional elections in 2006</font></a></li></ul><h2 style="font-weight: normal; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170);" linux="Linux" libertine="Libertine" georgia="Georgia" times="Times" serif="serif" line-height="line-height" background="background" none="none"><span class="mw-headline" id="External_links" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">External links</font></span></h2><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: none; line-height: 1.6; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Websites" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Websites</font></span></h3><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.trailheadgroup.net/" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" background-attachment="background-attachment" initial="initial" background-size="background-size" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" repeat="repeat" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cg="Cg" transform="transform" translate="translate" crect="Crect" x="x" y="y" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" cpath="Cpath" m831.194="M831.194" h5.234v5.391l-1.571="h5.234v5.391l-1.571" z="z" m835.424="M835.424" l.022="l.022" fg="Fg" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">TrailheadGroup.net</a>, an anti-The Trailhead Group, LLC website.</font></li></ul><h3 style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0px; border-bottom: none; line-height: 1.6; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Articles.26_Commentary" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Articles & Commentary</font></span></h3><ul style="margin: 0.3em 0px 0.5em 1.6em; padding: 0px; list-style-image: url(" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" a="A" csvg="Csvg" http="http" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" ccircle="Ccircle" cx="cx" cy="cy" r="r" fill="fill" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data"><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Lynn Bartels, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/government/article/0,2777,DRMN_23906_4374054,00.html" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" background-attachment="background-attachment" initial="initial" background-size="background-size" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" repeat="repeat" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cg="Cg" transform="transform" translate="translate" crect="Crect" x="x" y="y" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" cpath="Cpath" m831.194="M831.194" h5.234v5.391l-1.571="h5.234v5.391l-1.571" z="z" m835.424="M835.424" l.022="l.022" fg="Fg" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"GOP aims to regain House. But Dems say outlook rosy for them to keep control,"</a> <i>Rocky Mountain News</i>, January 9, 2006.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Michael de Yoanna, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.csindy.com/csindy/2006-03-09/news.html" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" background-attachment="background-attachment" initial="initial" background-size="background-size" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" repeat="repeat" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cg="Cg" transform="transform" translate="translate" crect="Crect" x="x" y="y" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" cpath="Cpath" m831.194="M831.194" h5.234v5.391l-1.571="h5.234v5.391l-1.571" z="z" m835.424="M835.424" l.022="l.022" fg="Fg" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"'Mad as hell'. Rep. Merrifield rips GOP group for telemarketing campaign that aims to cast doubt on ethics,"</a> <i>csindy.com</i>, March 9-15, 2006.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Eric Kelderman, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=101567" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" background-attachment="background-attachment" initial="initial" background-size="background-size" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" repeat="repeat" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cg="Cg" transform="transform" translate="translate" crect="Crect" x="x" y="y" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" cpath="Cpath" m831.194="M831.194" h5.234v5.391l-1.571="h5.234v5.391l-1.571" z="z" m835.424="M835.424" l.022="l.022" fg="Fg" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Colorado is hot spot for politicking by 527s,"</a> <i>Stateline.org</i>, April 4, 2006.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Matt Ingwalson, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://coloradolib.com/2006/04/suthers-and-trailhead-truth.html" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" background-attachment="background-attachment" initial="initial" background-size="background-size" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" repeat="repeat" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cg="Cg" transform="transform" translate="translate" crect="Crect" x="x" y="y" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" cpath="Cpath" m831.194="M831.194" h5.234v5.391l-1.571="h5.234v5.391l-1.571" z="z" m835.424="M835.424" l.022="l.022" fg="Fg" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Suthers and Trailhead: The truth,"</a> <i>Coloradolib.com</i>, April 12, 2006.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">pacified, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.soapblox.net/colorado/showDiary.do?diaryId=1510" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" background-attachment="background-attachment" initial="initial" background-size="background-size" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" repeat="repeat" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cg="Cg" transform="transform" translate="translate" crect="Crect" x="x" y="y" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" cpath="Cpath" m831.194="M831.194" h5.234v5.391l-1.571="h5.234v5.391l-1.571" z="z" m835.424="M835.424" l.022="l.022" fg="Fg" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Your Guide to Colorado GOP 527s,"</a> <i>SquareState</i>, May 18, 2006.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">pacified, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.squarestate.net/showDiary.do;jsessionid=0CD3783A78FC6AA281C222CB2759D92F?diaryId=1568" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" background-attachment="background-attachment" initial="initial" background-size="background-size" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" repeat="repeat" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cg="Cg" transform="transform" translate="translate" crect="Crect" x="x" y="y" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" cpath="Cpath" m831.194="M831.194" h5.234v5.391l-1.571="h5.234v5.391l-1.571" z="z" m835.424="M835.424" l.022="l.022" fg="Fg" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"AP Can't Google 'Trailhead Group',"</a> <i>SquareState</i>, May 29, 2006.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rah Chohan, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://cbs4denver.com/politics/local_story_250134153.html" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" background-attachment="background-attachment" initial="initial" background-size="background-size" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" repeat="repeat" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cg="Cg" transform="transform" translate="translate" crect="Crect" x="x" y="y" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" cpath="Cpath" m831.194="M831.194" h5.234v5.391l-1.571="h5.234v5.391l-1.571" z="z" m835.424="M835.424" l.022="l.022" fg="Fg" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"CBS4 Reality Checks Attack Ad Against Ritter,"</a> CBS4Denver.com, September 7, 2006.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ed Quillen, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.denverpost.com/perspective/ci_4303276" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" background-attachment="background-attachment" initial="initial" background-size="background-size" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" repeat="repeat" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cg="Cg" transform="transform" translate="translate" crect="Crect" x="x" y="y" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" cpath="Cpath" m831.194="M831.194" h5.234v5.391l-1.571="h5.234v5.391l-1.571" z="z" m835.424="M835.424" l.022="l.022" fg="Fg" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Confusion of the Trailheads,"</a> <i>Denver Post</i>, September 9, 2006.</font></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">pacified, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.squarestate.net/tag.do;jsessionid=A1822A7994F445E4296F32159FFDA87D?tag=Trailhead+Group" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: linear-gradient(transparent, transparent), url(" background-attachment="background-attachment" initial="initial" background-size="background-size" background-origin="background-origin" background-clip="background-clip" background-position="background-position" right="right" center="center" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat" repeat="repeat" data:image="data:image" svg="svg" xml="xml" c="C" fxml="Fxml" version="version" d="D" encoding="encoding" utf-8="UTF-8" f="F" e="E" csvg="Csvg" http="http" a="A" fwww.w3.org="Fwww.w3.org" f2000="F2000" fsvg="Fsvg" width="width" height="height" cg="Cg" transform="transform" translate="translate" crect="Crect" x="x" y="y" fill="fill" fff="fff" stroke="stroke" cpath="Cpath" m831.194="M831.194" h5.234v5.391l-1.571="h5.234v5.391l-1.571" z="z" m835.424="M835.424" l.022="l.022" fg="Fg" xmlns="xmlns" xmlns:data="data">"Trailhead no longer Trailhead?"</a> <i>SquareState</i>, September 18, 2006.</font></li></ul></div><div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" style="border: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 5px; margin-top: 1em; clear: both; line-height: 22.4px;"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Special:Categories" title="Special:Categories" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Categories</a>: </font><ul style="list-style: none none; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; display: inline;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" /><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left: none; padding: 0px 0.5em 0px 0.25em; zoom: 1;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Politics(U.S.)" title="Category:Politics (U.S.)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Politics (U.S.)</a></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></li><li style="margin: 0.125em 0px; display: inline-block; line-height: 1.25em; border-left: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); padding: 0px 0.5em; zoom: 1;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Category:Elections(U.S.)" title="Category:Elections (U.S.)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Elections (U.S.)</a></li></ul></div></div></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
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</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Several oil and gas companies with extensive interests in Colorado flatly refused to disclose whether they have contributed to Western Skies, and McNulty wouldn’t go there either. The group lists on its executive committee former Gov. Bill Owens, a Republican who used to work as an oil and gas lobbyist and was behind the infamous Trailhead Group 527 that flooded state airwaves with attack ads in 2006.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></font></div><div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 23px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="27" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.coloradoindependent.com/625/trailhead-to-nowhere" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Trailhead to Nowhere | The Colorado Independent</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv SWb" style="height: 17px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">www.<b>colorado</b>independent.com/625/<b>trailhead</b>-to-nowhere</cite></font></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; 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cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.4; word-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="f">Sep 15, 2006 - </span>Bill <span style="font-weight: bold;">Owens</span>, former gubernatorial candidate Bruce Benson and ... created <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead Group</span> as a means to help Republican candidates get elected to office in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Colorado</span>. ... These “<span style="font-weight: bold;">527</span>committees” are named for the federal tax code under ... On April 12, <span style="font-weight: bold;">2006</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead</span> reports making a $20,000 donation to ...</font></span></a></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 23px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="34" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.coloradoindependent.com/1089/carroll-takes-aim-at-527s" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Carroll Takes Aim at 527s | The Colorado Independent</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv SWb" style="height: 17px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">www.<b>colorado</b>independent.com/.../carroll-takes-aim-at-<b>52</b>...</cite></font></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; 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cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.4; word-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="f">Dec 9, 2006 - </span>In a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Colorado</span> Confidential interview on October 1, <span style="font-weight: bold;">2006</span>, Rep. Carroll said of The<span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead Group</span>, a Republican <span style="font-weight: bold;">527 group</span> linked to Gov. Bill <span style="font-weight: bold;">Owens</span>, “Worse, their disregard for the truth is also toxic, impacts public opinion and can and ... The memory of all the mudslinging <span style="font-weight: bold;">ads</span> of the recent election is fresh.</font></span></a></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 23px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="41" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/The_Trailhead_Group,LLC" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Trailhead Group, LLC - SourceWatch</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv _SWb" style="height: 17px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/The<b>Trailhead</b><b>Group</b>,LLC</cite></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; 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cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;" /></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></li></ol></div></div></span></div><a class="fl" href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:k2jKJ7ZNnXEJ:www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/The_Trailhead_Group,LLC+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.4; word-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="f">Aug 11, 2008 - </span>The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead Group</span>, LLC is a <span style="font-weight: bold;">527</span> committee whose founders include <span style="font-weight: bold;">Colorado</span>Republican "Gov. Bill <span style="font-weight: bold;">Owens</span>; well-heeled [Denver] oilman ...</font></span></a></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 23px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="47" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.denverpost.com/2006/07/27/new-committee-boosts-ritter/" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">New committee boosts Ritter – The Denver Post</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv SWb" style="height: 17px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">www.denverpost.com/<b>2006</b>/07/27/new-committee-boosts-ritter/</cite></font></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; 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display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.4; word-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="f">May 8, 2016 - </span>July 27, <span style="font-weight: bold;">2006</span> | UPDATED: 10 years ago ... Bill <span style="font-weight: bold;">Owens</span> and other prominent Republicans, the <span style="font-weight: bold;">group</span> has run radio <span style="font-weight: bold;">ads</span> this summer criticizing Ritter's performance as ... Clear Peak <span style="font-weight: bold;">Colorado</span>, a political committee set up to defend ... Independent committees such as <span style="font-weight: bold;">527s</span> aren't subject to those restrictions.</font></span></a></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 23px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="54" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2006/04/04/colorado-is-hot-spot-for-politicking-by-527s" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Stateline - Colorado is hot spot for politicking by 527s</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv SWb" style="height: 17px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">www.pewtrusts.org/.../<b>2006</b>/.../<b>colorado</b>-is-hot-spot-for-poli...</cite></font></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; 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cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.4; word-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">April 04, <span style="font-weight: bold;">2006</span>; By Eric Kelderman ... One hot spot for <span style="font-weight: bold;">527s</span> is <span style="font-weight: bold;">Colorado</span>, where more than a dozen<span style="font-weight: bold;">groups</span> are waging a high-priced ... Bill <span style="font-weight: bold;">Owens</span> (R) . ... a Republican, has protested a <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead</span> radio<span style="font-weight: bold;">advertisement</span> that supports his role in ...</font></span></a></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 23px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="60" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/2007/01/02/rocky-guest-editorial-about-democrats-election/140694" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rocky guest editorial about Democrats' election success failed to ...</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv SWb" style="height: 17px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">mediamatters.org/research/2007/01/02/rocky.../140694</cite></font></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; position: relative; margin: 0px 3px; vertical-align: middle; -webkit-user-select: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><a class="Fmb ab_button" href="https://www.google.com/search?q=trailhead+group+527+colorqado+gardner+williams&oq=trailhead+group+527+colorqado+gardner+williams&aqs=chrome..69i57.14672j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#" id="am-b5" aria-label="Result details" aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" role="button" jsaction="m.tdd;keydown:m.hbke;keypress:m.mskpe" data-ved="0ahUKEwj77uSlo7XOAhUBxGMKHRfpAhAQ7B0IPjAF" style="border-radius: 0px; cursor: default; font-weight: bold; height: 12px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; 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cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.4; word-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><span class="f">Jan 2, 2007 - </span>Bill <span style="font-weight: bold;">Owens</span> (R), oil multimillionaire and former <span style="font-weight: bold;">Colorado</span> Republican Party ... failed to note the role <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead Group</span> played in the <span style="font-weight: bold;">2006</span> election. ... 18 News analysis of <span style="font-weight: bold;">2006</span> campaign funding, "Democratic <span style="font-weight: bold;">527 groups</span> had ... Other reports have noted <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead</span> spent money on <span style="font-weight: bold;">ads</span>praising Hillman in <span style="font-weight: bold;">2006</span>, ...</font></span></a></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 23px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="67" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/2006/08/24/rocky-article-misled-on-527s/140346" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rocky article misled on 527s - Media Matters for America</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv SWb" style="height: 17px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">mediamatters.org/research/<b>2006</b>/08/24/...<b>527</b>s/140346</cite></font></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; 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cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.4; word-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Research ››› August 24, <span style="font-weight: bold;">2006</span> 4:03 PM EDT ››› MEDIA MATTERS STAFF ... conservative <span style="font-weight: bold;">Colorado 527s</span> such as the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead Group</span> that fund attack <span style="font-weight: bold;">ads</span> against ... Bill <span style="font-weight: bold;">Owens</span>, beer magnate Pete Coors and Republican Party fundraiser Bruce ...</font></span></a></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 23px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="73" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://gazette.com/da-to-probe-ads-targeting-democratic-senate-hopeful/article/18745" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">DA to probe ads targeting Democratic Senate hopeful | Colorado ...</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv SWb" style="height: 17px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">gazette.com/da-to-probe-<b>ads</b>-targeting-democratic-senate.../18745</cite></font></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; 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Bill <span style="font-weight: bold;">Owens</span> broke a law that bars “knowingly” using false statements in campaign <span style="font-weight: bold;">advertising</span>. “I think ... The <span style="font-weight: bold;">ads</span> were funded by the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead Group</span>, a <span style="font-weight: bold;">527</span> organization, which was set up and is supported by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Owens</span>, ...</font></span></a></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 23px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="79" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/19/259114/-" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A Veritable Cornucopia of Corruption in Colorado - Daily Kos</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv SWb" style="height: 17px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">www.dailykos.com/story/<b>2006</b>/10/19/259114/-</cite></font></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; 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outline: 0px;"><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.4; word-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000">Thursday Oct 19, <span style="font-weight: bold;">2006</span> · 6:42 AM PDT ... More financial schenanigans for The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead Group</span>, LLC -- a <span style="font-weight: bold;">527 group</span> founded by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Colorado</span> governor Bill <span style="font-weight: bold;">Owens</span>, beer baron Pete Coors, and former GOP ... Help support Ken Gordon, a great Secretary of State candidate and have some fun doing it with an inspired campaign <span style="font-weight: bold;">ad</span>.</font></span></a></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="85" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://littletonindependent.net/stories/The-downside-of-politics,13616" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">News | Littleton Colorado | Littletonindependent.net</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv SWb" style="height: 17px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">littletonindependent.net/stories/The-downside-of-politics,13616</font></cite></div><span class="st" style="line-height: 1.4; word-wrap: break-word; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span class="f">Oct 7, 2008 - </span>Like most political <span style="font-weight: bold;">ads</span>, the flier was designed to sell its candidate. ... the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead Group</span>, a Republican <span style="font-weight: bold;">527</span> co-founded by former Gov. Bill <span style="font-weight: bold;">Owens</span>. ... In <span style="font-weight: bold;">2006</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Colorado</span> became the second state to pass a law requiring ...</font></span></div></div></div></div><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">http://www.ecowatch.com/how-the-oil-gas-industry-turned-colorado-from-blue-to-red-1882096988.html</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">If money is speech, then it stands to reason that a very small number of very wealthy people can effectively drown out the voices of the multitude on issues they determine worthy of a shout via their checkbooks. Currently in Colorado, the issues where this money/speech is reaching the highest decibels are oil and gas extraction, aka fracking, and education issues such as the 2013 battle over Amendment 66 and the ongoing push by some for a school voucher system or other form of school choice.</font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Even before the Supreme Court’s controversial “Citizens United” ruling, campaign finance laws had blurred the lines between dollars and words.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">It never seemed to matter that polls have long shown nearly 80 percent of us disagree with this notion that money is simply an extension of the voice we use to express our views and should therefore be unlimited. For decades, all that has really mattered is that the elected officials who could fix this broken system are the primary beneficiaries of its democratic shortcomings. Hence, money still talks and in Colorado, more loudly than in most places.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">To understand how a handful of wealthy, influential individuals, along with the oil and gas industry and a few key political operatives, have managed to play puppeteer over our state government and even the electorate is quite complicated. That’s why we’ve included seven full pages of what I refer to as “influence maps” at the end of this article.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">It has been more than a decade since Democrats came up with their now well-documented “Blueprint,” wherein four billionaires used their massive wealth to flip the state from red to blue. But after the 2014 election cycle, it is abundantly clear that the Republicans—along with a few key “Dems”—now have their own “Redprint,” which, like its blue predecessor, has worked quite well.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Substantially influencing a state’s elections, laws and regulations takes more than just spending $50 million dollars on TV, radio and newspaper ads, although that’s an important part of the equation. It also takes more than just filling the campaign coffers of politicians, although that too has its place.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In order for a microscopic minority of the monied to hold real influence over the rest of us and our democratic system of government, it requires creating the illusion that millions of people and nearly all the research on any given issue supports this minority’s specific point of view. This “illusion building” process is where the political operatives enter the picture.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In Colorado, I like to imagine this political slight of hand as a massive network of loudspeakers mounted on poles in every community across the state. Every few minutes the same message blares out over the speakers: “oil and gas and fracking are good for you because jobs, economy, freedom, American flag, natural gas is the new green, Middle East terrorists … blah, blah, blah.” The only thing that changes, in my imagined scenario, is who’s delivering the message, as nearly every blast appears to come from a brand new grassroots organization. Most of us assume these grassroots groups are made up of thousands of folks just like us. And besides, they have really intriguing names like “Citizens for the Environment Who Like Shale Oil,” or the “Clean Air Coalition for Freedom From Terrorists,” or “Mothers for Tar Sands.” You get the point.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Next, I imagine that all the wires coming from all the poles holding the loudspeakers form a giant interconnected web that covers the state like lace, but ultimately, all those wires lead back to just one small room in an office building in Denver. Inside that room, a handful of political operatives take turns at the mic pretending to be a member of the next new group who just has to tell you how much shale oil means to them while throwing in a bunch of facts and figures from seemingly credible sources, which, in the hands of these professional twisters of the truth, scare us into thinking the sky will fall, the economy will collapse and most children will go hungry if oil companies can’t stick rigs in the middle of our neighborhoods.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">And that’s where this investigation comes in, because that room, or some wall-less facsimile thereof, does exist. So who is in that room, where do they get their facts and, more importantly, who pays for the whole operation are very real, very important questions.</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">...</font></div><div><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><strong><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Red to Blue to Red</font></strong></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A lot has happened in Colorado politics over the last decade or so. In 2003, Colorado was a red state, a really red state. Republican Bill Owens was governor; substantial Republican majorities controlled both the state House and Senate; Colorado’s two senators at the nation’s capital were Republicans as were five out of seven of the state’s representatives.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Not only was Colorado red, it was supposed to be red because there were simply more registered Republicans in the state than there were Democrats, which back then used to actually have an impact on election outcomes.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">But times change. As is well known to most politically knowledgeable folks in Colorado, four billionaires — Tim Gill, Jared Polis, Pat Stryker and Rutt Bridges—along with a few very astute political operatives led by strange-bedfellows/deal-maker extraordinaire Ted Trimpa, hatched a scheme to turn the state blue back in 2003 and it worked.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">By 2004, Democrats controlled the Colorado House and Senate and one U.S. Senate seat had changed colors. By 2008, Dems had added the governor’s mansion, both senate seats and three out of five representatives. Colorado was no longer red. It wasn’t even purple. Colorado had become a bright blue example of what could be accomplished politically with enough money and great strategy, even in a state where Republicans still outnumber Democrats.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">You could fill a book with all the details of how “the Gang of Four” (the name given to Gill, Polis, Stryker and Bridges) accomplished their amazing feat. In fact, that’s exactly what Rob Witwer and Adam Schrager did in their incredibly revealing 2010 book <em>The Blueprint: How the Democrats Won Colorado (and Why Republicans Everywhere Should Care).</em></font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What the Gang of Four did was transformative, if not particularly democratic. These ultra-wealthy individuals built a web of donor-controlled organizations that worked together to promote exactly what the donors wanted promoted. Charitable organizations, PACs, 527’s, new faux “news” outlets under the control of the donors, watchdog groups that watched only who and what they were told to watch, and activist organizations centered around the environment, gay rights and other social justice issues all worked together to promote the donor’s agenda while giving the all-important appearance of broad popular support. It was a pricy manipulation of the system, but an effective one.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In fact, it worked to perfection for several years.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">While Republicans were making gains all across the nation, the Gang of Four—who eventually blended in with other high-powered Democratic donors to become known as the Colorado Democracy Alliance—were having wild success in Colorado. It seemed only one thing could threaten their “Blueprint” plan — a plan predicated on outspending Republicans by huge margins in strategic races—and that was the ever-looming possibility that someone on the other side might be willing to spend even more than them</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">to create the same kind of operation, a “Redprint” for lack of a better term.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">It appeared unlikely for a number of years that anything of the sort would happen. While billionaires Gill and Stryker and many-times-over millionaires Bridges and Polis were laying out millions on every election cycle, the largest single Republican donors were giving $200,000, tops, in any given year.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">But then the oil and gas industry got a little ticked.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Democrat Bill Ritter won the 2006 gubernatorial election and he started talking about renewable energy and clean air. He even passed some new air regulations on the oil and gas industry. Oops.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">There are more than 52,000 oil and gas wells in Colorado. One good size well pad in Weld County can generate as much as $22,000,000 all by itself.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In other words, make the oil industry mad and the $10 million that the Gang of Four was spending to blow away Republicans suddenly looks like chump change.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The very short answer as to what happened next is that in order to keep the oil industry’s money on the sideline and not overturn the Democrat’s “Blueprint,” a few deals with strange bedfellows had to be made.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><em>Boulder Weekly </em>has written in depth on this issue previously. (For a more thorough explanation, see our investigation titled “Who killed the vote on fracking?”, Oct. 2, 2014.)</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Political operative/lobbyist Ted Trimpa is often credited with coming up with the plan to keep the oil industry at bay. If he didn’t think of it, he certainly gets credit for pulling it off. It no doubt helped that he was the political strategist for the largest Democratic donor in the state, Tim Gill, while simultaneously serving as lobbyist for two of the state’s largest oil and gas companies, Encana and Noble Energy; strange bedfellows indeed.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The looming threat was that the oil industry was going to make sure it spent enough free speech to get Ritter out of office. Such an expenditure would likely have turned out Republican voters in sizable numbers impacting all the down ballot races as well. Democrats feared losing their majority in the legislature as well as the governorship.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Republican candidates running against Ritter at the time included then Republican Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry (remember that name?) and Republican Scott McInnis, whose campaign was being handled by the Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, making him little threat to the Democrats.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Long story short, Ritter proposes the Clean Air Clean Jobs Act in 2010 giving the oil and gas industry a better market for their natural gas and increasing drilling activity all across the state. That’s the peace pipe.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ritter and Penry are both running for governor but suddenly decide to drop out of the race. The day he leaves office, Ritter gets a cushy job running Pat Stryker’s pro oil and gas foundation up at CSU, Penry becomes a lobbyist and oil and gas consultant. And oil and gas geologist and lover of all things hydrocarbon</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">John Hickenlooper strolls easy into the governor’s mansion. Oil wins the day, and Democrats keep the state blue.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">By 2012 it was becoming clear that a citizens’ movement against oil and gas development/fracking was increasing in intensity. The activist 20 percent of the Democratic Party was rebelling against Hickenlooper and other oil-friendly Dems. Republicans seized the moment.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">It wasn’t hard to figure out a “Redprint” strategy.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Republicans just started doing what the Gang of Four had done.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Colorado Concern, an invitation-only group made up of the wealthiest individuals; conservative foundations and investment firms; powerful corporate leaders, many of them from the oil and gas and development sectors and a handful of political operatives, lobbyist and law firms, have joined the new red war.</font></p><p style="line-height: 1.4;" /><p style="line-height: 1.4;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">To understand what drives Colorado Concern and its critical roll in the “Redprint,” you simply need to go to its website and read. It clearly is the organization setting the agenda from top to bottom. Consider these lengthy excerpts from the website and think of them in terms of CSPR’s REMI projects as you read. I’ll add my own notes in bold print.</font></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></font></div><div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 23px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="32" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.coloradoindependent.com/7766/the-petroleum-pledge-western-skies-backers-sign-onto-%E2%80%98energy-action-plan%E2%80%99" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Western Skies backers sign onto 'energy action plan' - The Colorado ...</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv SWb" style="height: 17px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">www.<b>colorado</b>independent.com/.../the-petroleum-pledge-...</cite></font></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; 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Cory <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gardner</span> (R-Yuma), are behind the Western Skies Coalition (WSC), ... Bill Owens, a Republican who used to work as an oil and gas lobbyist and was behind the infamous <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead Group 527</span> that ...</font></span></a></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 23px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="39" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.coloradoindependent.com/6955/western-skies-coalition-lists-owens-bennett-on-executive-committee-2" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Western Skies Coalition lists Owens, Bennett on executive committee ...</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv SWb" style="height: 17px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">www.<b>colorado</b>independent.com/.../western-skies-coalition-...</cite></font></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; 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The Western Skies Coalition, a conservative advocacy <span style="font-weight: bold;">group</span> ... In a launch press release obtained by the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Colorado</span> Independent and ... <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead Group</span>, one of the most notorious and wealthiest <span style="font-weight: bold;">527</span> GOP hit ... <span style="font-weight: bold;">gardner</span> In Senate run, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gardner</span> may be hard-pressed to sell far-right record.</font></span></a></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 23px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="54" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://coloradopols.com/diary/category/jeffco-2/tag/kevin%20mccasky/0/page/1648" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">- Colorado Pols | Page 1648</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; 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At least 15 of the <span style="font-weight: bold;">527s</span>have <span style="font-weight: bold;">Colorado</span> addresses, including the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Trailhead Group</span>, which was ... or whether she is seeking action she will pursue, said Dana <span style="font-weight: bold;">Williams</span> of the .... Fact Check: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gardner</span> Opposed Comprehensive Immigration Reform and ...</font></span></a></div></div></div><div class="g" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 23px;"><div class="rc" data-hveid="59" style="position: relative;"><h3 class="r" style="font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/how-the-oil-gas-industry-turned-colorado-from-blue-to-red-1882096988.html" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">How the Oil & Gas Industry Turned Colorado From Blue to Red ...</font></a></h3><div class="s" style="max-width: 48em; line-height: 18px;"><div class="f kv _SWb" style="height: 17px; line-height: 16px; white-space: nowrap;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><cite class="Rm" style="font-style: normal;">www.ecowatch.com/how-the-oil-gas-industry-turned-<b>colorado</b>-from-blue-to-red-188...</cite></font><div class="action-menu ab_ctl" style="display: inline; 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padding: 0px; border: 0px; list-style: none; -webkit-user-select: none; cursor: pointer;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a class="fl" href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:bbIxFqhcSoMJ:www.ecowatch.com/how-the-oil-gas-industry-turned-colorado-from-blue-to-red-1882096988.html+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration: none; 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CRED is also the industry front <span style="font-weight: bold;">group</span> that paid for an entire section in The ..... money for teapartyesque Republican candidates, <span style="font-weight: bold;">527's</span> and PACs ...</font></span></a></div></div></div></div><div><a class="fl" href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:bbIxFqhcSoMJ:www.ecowatch.com/how-the-oil-gas-industry-turned-colorado-from-blue-to-red-1882096988.html+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us" style="text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; display: block; padding: 7px 18px; outline: 0px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">===</font></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>