Colorado Republican wraps up tough week on the trail

By Sean J. Miller - 04/16/10 10:27 AM ET

Former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton (R) had a difficult week.

The Colorado Senate candidate announced Tuesday she was going to petition her way onto the August primary ballot, which prompted a swift rebuke from the Colorado GOP chairman. Now, she won't be allowed to speak or even have campaign signs at her party's state assembly May 22.  

On Wednesday, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) endorsed Norton's chief primary opponent, Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck (R). "Based on the support Ken is getting around the state, I think he's in a very good position to get the votes he needs at the state convention to get on the August ballot," DeMint said in a statement. "This along with his performance in the precinct caucuses demonstrates real strength as a candidate. I believe that as the rest of the state meets Ken Buck, he will continue to surge in the polls and win this critical election."  

DeMint's endorsement has in the past been coupled with a contribution from his PAC, Senate Conservatives Fund, and it's backers.   Meanwhile, the aggressive, right-wing group Americans for Job Security is running an ad in Colorado in support of Buck.

All this spells trouble for Norton, who will be forced to spend money that could be used for the general to defeat Buck. She raised more than her rival last quarter, some $816,000 to $219,000, but she burned through much of it. Democratic sources say she's using paid canvassers, which can be costly, to gather the signatures she needs to get onto the primary ballot. Norton reported having $643,000 cash on hand at the end of the first quarter, according to the Denver Post. That's not much more than Buck, who had $416,000 banked.

DeMint has made headlines in several GOP primaries this cycle. He was an early supporter of Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R) -- he introduced him at the recent CPAC conference in Washington -- and backed conservative state Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R) in California. He also toyed with the idea of backing developer Patrick Hughes's primary challenge to now-Illinois GOP Senate nominee Mark Kirk.

DeMint's support has become a counter-weight to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is backing Republican Carly Fiorina in California and Norton in Colorado. McCain also backed Kirk in Illinois and he has supported Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) in the past.