DENVER, COLORADO –Republican Party of Colorado Chairman Ryan Call announces delegates and alternate delegates for the Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL:

“I am pleased to announce Colorado’s delegates and alternate delegates for the Republican National Convention this August. Colorado Republicans are grateful for the dedication and enthusiasm to Colorado and the Party, and for their tireless efforts to make Barack Obama a one-term president,” said Colorado GOP Chairman Ryan Call.

“Coloradoans along with the rest of the country understand the damage Barack Obama’s policies have caused the American people. With high unemployment, gas at $4 per gallon and record national debt, voters deserve better – they deserve real leadership in the White House. Barack Obama’s promise of ‘Hope’ has devolved into the cynical politics of hypocrisy and division and Coloradoans deserve better. Colorado will play a key role in November and with the help, dedication and passion of our state leaders and grassroots volunteers, we will turn the state Red.”

Delegates to the Republican National Convention:
·         Congressional District 1
o   Nancy McKiernanm, Santorum
o   Celement Koerber Jr., Unpledged
o   Florence Sebern, Unpledged
·         Congressional District 2
o   Timothy Leonard, Unpledged
o   Sue Sharkey, Santorum
o   Solomon Martinez, Unpledged
·         Congressional District 3
o   Todd King, Unpledged
o   Luke Kirk, Unpledged
o   Frieda Wallison, Romney
·         Congressional District 4
o   Guy Short, Unpledged
o   Sean Conway, Santorum
o   Karen Pelzer, Unpledged
·         Congressional District 5
o   John Suthers, Romney
o   Robin Coran, Santorum
o   Kent Lambert, Santorum
·         Congressional District 6
o   John Carson, Romney
o   Ted Harvey, Unpledged
o   Erik Hansen, Romney
·         Congressional District 7
o   Pete Coors, Romney
o   Anil Mathai, Santorum
o Jeremy Strand, Unpledged

Alternate Delegates to the Republican National Convention:
·         Congressional District 1
o   Earl Bandy III, Unpledged
o   Elizabeth Buchanan, Unpledged
o   David Bittner, Paul
·         Congressional District 2
o   Jon Warnick, Unpledged
o   Bryce Carlson, Romney
o   Kaye Ferry, Romney
·         Congressional District 3
o   Nancy Carlson, Romney
o   Michelle Gilleland, Romney
o   Barbara Smith, Romney
·         Congressional District 4
o   Kendal Unruh, Unpledged
o   Jim Gaston, Unpledged
o   Justin Williams, Romney
·         Congressional District 5
o   Robert Balink, Romney
o   Charles Aligaen, Paul
o   Joseph Burke, Paul
·         Congressional District 6
o   Glenn Hagen, Romney
o   Ryan Massfeller, Romney
o   Jeff Wasden, Romney
·         Congressional District 7
o   Lloyd Garcia, Unpledged
o   Libby Szabo, Unpledged
o   Robert Eskenberry, Paul

Colorado Republican Party Announces State Legislators' Trailblazer Program
Program to Help GOP Candidates Run Strong, Accountable Campaigns

Greenwood Village, Colo. -- Colorado Republican Party Chairman Ryan Call announced today the creation of the Trailblazer Program, modeled in part after the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Young Guns program.

"The Trailblazer Program is designed to assist candidates through benchmarks and goals in order to run strong and effective campaigns for the state legislature," said Chairman Ryan Call.  "This program will allow our candidates to show their campaign’s strength and be better prepared to increase the majority in the State House and take back the majority in the Senate."

"The quality of Republican candidates who have come forward to run for the State House this year is truly impressive," said Speaker Frank McNulty (R-Highlands Ranch).  "Having the Colorado Republican Party as an active partner will only further our ongoing efforts to strengthen our majority in the House of Representatives.”

Senate Minority Leader Bill Cadman (R-Colorado Springs) added, "Our Senate Republican Caucus is prepared to take back the majority in 2012 and the organization that the Trailblazers Program will provide will undoubtedly be a critical asset in our efforts."

"Our House Republican Caucus is poised to increase our majority in 2012. We are excited about the way our Colorado Republican Trailblazer Program will encourage and assist our House candidates," said Representative Kevin Priola (R-Henderson).

"We're excited that the State Party is taking a very strategic approach to ensure the Senate secures a Republican majority," said Assistant Minority Leader Mark Scheffel (R-Parker).

The Trailblazers Program consists of three (3) benchmark levels: On the Radar, Contender and Trailblazer status.

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Colorado Republicans Gaining Momentum in Voter Registration
Registers Nearly 6,000 More Voters Than Democrats To Date

Greenwood Village, Colo. -- Colorado Republican Party Chairman Ryan Call released the following statement regarding voter registration advantages held by Republicans in Colorado:

"If President Obama’s TV ad buy in Colorado tells us anything, it’s that the Obama Campaign is panicking in a state he carried by nine points in 2008.

"From rising gas prices, to voters fleeing the Colorado Democratic Party, Obama is in deep trouble in Colorado and his campaign clearly knows it.   Back in November, Obama’s Campaign Manager Jim Messina ‘guaranteed’ a massive ground game in Colorado to out-register Republicans and help Obama win the state, but the numbers tell a different story.

"In March, Republicans registered nearly 2,000 more voters than Democrats, and we’ve registered nearly 6,000 more voters than Democrats since the beginning of the year.

"Yesterday’s voter registration numbers show that either Obama’s organization isn’t performing as planned, or more likely, Coloradans know they can’t afford four more years of President Obama.

"Four years ago, Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination and promised a post-partisan era; today he resorts to cynical, misleading attack ads. It is clear to Coloradans that it was just phony rhetoric and we are ready for real solutions."

• Obama's Campaign Manager Jim Messina:  "I can guarantee you, what we had on the ground in October of 2008 will be the floor and not the ceiling of what we’re going to have in 2012. … We will register more voters and turn out more voters than we did last time” ("Obama Campaign Chief Aims At Romney," Durango Herald 11/16/11).

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Colorado State Chairman Statement On Anniversary Of Obama’s Stimulus Bill

Greenwood Village, CO – Today, Colorado Republican Party Chairman Ryan Call released the following statement on the third anniversary of President Obama signing the stimulus bill into law:

“Three years after President Obama signed his massive stimulus spending bill into law, it’s clear that even by the President’s own standards, the bill has been a failure.” said Chairman Call.

“Just three short years ago, President Obama promised that his $825 billion stimulus bill would save or create 3.5 million jobs and keep unemployment below 8% - but since then, we’ve lost more than one million jobs and unemployment has remained above 8% for a record period. What’s even worse is that while Americans are demanding a more responsible, efficient government, President Obama’s 2012 budget calls for even more spending and even more taxes.”

“Colorado voters have had enough of President Obama’s failed promises and out of control spending. It’s time for new leadership in Washington that can keep spending under control and actually improve our economy, not another four years of economic hardship” Chairman Call continued.

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Denver Post: Haney Drops Out of 6th Congressional District Race After GOP Complaint

"Hiding Haney" Quits After GOP Scrutinizes Blatant FEC Violations

GREENWOOD VILLAGE -- Yesterday, embattled candidate Perry Haney, Democrat congressional candidate for the 6^th district, dropped out of the race after one day of intense scrutiny regarding him skirting Federal Election Commission laws.

Kurtis Lee of The Denver Post reports:

• "The announcement comes after the Colorado GOP chairman Ryan Call sent a scrupulously crafted open-letter to the FEC's general counsel — which references federal election legislation from the 1970s — regarding the campaign practices of Haney" (Denver Post, 2/15/2012, link).

• "'Once [Haney] paid thousands of dollars to his campaign he's breaking that threshold and law by not formally filing with the FEC,' said Chuck Poplstein, executive director of the state Republican party. 'And you need to know what you're doing. What's he hiding and why is he hiding behind exploratory rules and breaking them?'" (Denver Post, 2/15/2012, link).

• "When asked today if the state's Republican Party saw Haney as a threat to unseating Coffman ... Poplstein said that when a potential opponent to Coffman is trying to skirt FEC laws, voters need to know if he's hiding anything" (Denver Post, 2/15/2012, link).

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In an interview prior to sending an email blast to supporters, Haney told The Denver Post that he's been trying to get out of the race for weeks and that it's not due to the GOP complaint.

Colorado Republican Party Calls for FEC Investigation into Haney

GREENWOOD VILLAGE -- Today, the Colorado Republican Party filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission to immediately open an investigation into Democrat Perry Haney, candidate for Congressional District 6.

"Haney violated the 'testing the waters' phase in his bid for Congress, and voters of the sixth district deserve to know what Haney is hiding," said Chairman Ryan Call.  “If Haney is already hiding his actions from voters, just imagine what he’d do if he were elected to Congress."

The complaint states that while Haney had officially filed his candidacy with the FEC in late October 2011, he directly violated FEC regulations by running both an exploratory committee and a congressional committee simultaneously under the guise of two different groups.

According to FEC reports, on June 6 and July 19, Haney funneled a total of $51,000 of his own money into his campaign account.  Despite acting and directing money like a congressional candidate for months, Haney never filed with the FEC until two months passed.

Then on August 19, Haney created a YouTube channel, "Haney for Congress,” and on August 31, he uploaded a video about his run for office with links to both his campaign and exploratory committee website.

The testing the waters provision does not allow Haney to refer to himself as a candidate without triggering registration and reporting requirements with the FEC.  Under FEC regulations, Haney should have filed a statement of candidacy 15 days after that post, and a statement of organization 10 days after that. But he never did.

Furthermore, earlier this month Haney misreported how much money was in his campaign account by more than $330,000, forcing him to amend his report.

“These violations of FEC regulations must be investigated and appropriately reprimanded immediately,” Call said. “No one is above the law, but Haney apparently believes that his attempts at skirting these campaign finance laws will go unnoticed.  Voters should be able to trust our elected officials and not always wonder, 'what they are hiding?'”

To see the complaint as sent to the FEC, please click here.

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Anthony Herman, Esquire

General Counsel

Federal Election Commission

999 E Street, NW

Washington, DC 20463

Re:       Perry Haney and Perry Haney for Congress

Dear Mr. Herman:

Pursuant to 2 USC § 437g(a)(1) and 11 CFR § 111.4, please accept this letter as a Complaint against Perry Haney (“Haney”) and Perry Haney for Congress (“the Committee”) for operating in violation of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (the “Act”), and Federal Election Commission (“FEC” or “Commission”) regulations, and more specifically, for violation of the testing the waters provisions set forth in 11 CFR 100.72(a) and 100.131(a).

I.          Facts

Perry Haney for Congress is an authorized committee of Perry Haney, a candidate for the House of Representatives in the Colorado 6^th Congressional District.  Haney filed a Form 2 Statement of Candidacy with the FEC on October 27, 2011, and an amended Form 2 Statement of Candidacy on December 14, 2011.  The Committee filed a Form 1 Statement of Organization with the FEC on October 27, 2011, listing the Committee’s name as Perry Haney for Congress Exploratory Committee.  An amended Form 1 Statement of Organization was filed on December 14, 2011, changing the name to Perry Haney for Congress.

The Committee has two websites, www.perryhaneyforcongress.com and www.sendachiropractortocongress.com.  The first website features a prominent Perry Haney for U.S. Congress logo, biography of Haney, contact information, news articles and a page for contributions.   The second website contains a message from Haney that states, “My name is Perry Haney – I will be the first Chiropractor ever to serve in Congress.”  The second website also contains a contribution page.  Though it is unclear when the websites first launched, the disclaimers on both state “Paid for by Perry Haney for Congress Exploratory Committee.”

The Committee’s YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/HaneyForCongress, was created on August 19, 2011.  The first video was uploaded to the YouTube channel on August 31, 2011.  The August 31, 2011, video includes links to both www.perryhaneyforcongress.com and www.sendachiropractortocongress.com.

On January 31, 2012, the Committee filed an amended year-end report with the FEC.  The Committee filed an amended report on February 1, 2012.  The filing reported that, as of July 19, 2011, the Committee had received $51,000 – a $1,000 contribution from Perry Haney on June 6, 2011, and a $50,000 contribution from Perry Haney on July 19, 2011.

II.        Relevant Law

An individual becomes a candidate and triggers registration and reporting responsibilities under the Act when campaign activity exceeds $5,000 in either contributions or expenditures.  2 USC § 431(2).  A candidate must file a Form 2 Statement of Candidacy within 15 days of becoming a candidate.  2 USC § 432(e)(1).  Within 10 days after it has been designated by the candidate, the principal campaign committee must register by filing with the FEC.  2 USC § 433(a).

The regulations permit an individual who has not decided to run for office to raise funds to “test the waters” and explore the viability of becoming a candidate.  11 CFR § 100.72, 11 CFR § 100.131.  An individual solely engaging in testing the waters activities does not have to register or report as a candidate, even if the individual raises or spends more than $5,000 on these activities.  Testing the waters activities include conducting a poll, making telephone calls and traveling, but only if undertaken to determine whether an individual should become a candidate.   11 CFR § 100.72, 11 CFR § 100.131.

However, once an individual engages in campaign activity, if he or she has raised or spent more than $5,000, the individual must register as a candidate with the FEC.  Campaign activities include raising funds in excess of what could reasonably be expected to be used for exploratory activities, undertaking activities designed to amass campaign funds that would be spent after he or she becomes a candidate, or making statements that refer to the individual as a candidate.  11 CFR § 100.72.  In addition, if the name of an individual’s testing the waters committee indicates that the candidate has already decided to run for congress, this is also considered campaign activity.  See Advisory Opinion 1981-32.

III.       Legal Analysis

Perry Haney was campaigning for congress while purportedly testing the waters.  On August 31, 2011, the first video was uploaded to the Haney for Congress YouTube site.  This video refers to both www.perryhaneyforcongress.com, and www.sendachiropractortocongress.com.  The YouTube channel name and both websites refer to Haney as a candidate.  Furthermore, the Committee’s original name, Perry Haney for Congress Exploratory Committee, also refers to Haney as a candidate.  The testing the waters provision does not allow the Committee to refer to Haney as a candidate without triggering registration and reporting with the FEC.

Haney also failed to register and report with the FEC in a timely manner.  Since Haney was plainly referring to himself as a candidate, he was no longer testing the waters and was subject to the registration and reporting requirements of the FEC.  According to the Committee’s reports, the Committee crossed the $5,000 registration and reporting threshold on July 19, 2011, when it accepted a $50,000 contribution from Haney, bringing the Committee’s total amount raised to $51,000.  At the very latest, Haney was referring to himself as a candidate by August 31, 2011.  According to the Act and FEC regulations, Haney should have filed a Form 2 Statement of Candidacy 15 days after August 31, 2011, and a Form 1 Statement of Organization 10 days after that.  Haney failed to file either form until October 27, 2011.

This, in addition to the references to Haney as a candidate, is a clear demonstration that Haney and the Committee violated the testing the waters provisions by actively campaigning for Federal office and, additionally, have violated the FEC’s reporting requirements.

IV.       Conclusion

Upon information and belief, and based upon the facts relayed herein, Perry Haney and Perry Haney for Congress have violated the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended, and Federal Election Commission Regulations.  Accordingly, we respectfully request that the Commission conduct an immediate investigation into the violations outlined above and impose the maximum penalty under law.

The foregoing is correct and accurate to the best of my knowledge, information and belief.

Respectfully submitted,

Ryan R. Call, Esq.

Colorado Republican Party State Chairman

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 14^th day of February, 2012.

Colorado GOP Statement on President Obama’s Budget

Greenwood Village, CO – Colorado Republican Party Chairman Ryan Call issued the following statement today in response to President Obama’s budget proposal:

“When Coloradans need fiscal responsibility from Washington, they have President Obama who has run up trillion dollar deficits each year he’s been in office after promising to half the deficit by the end of his first term. The release of President Obama’s budget today is just more of the same failed spending and tax policies that have put our country deeper in debt and Coloradans on the hook for Obama’s out of control spending.

“After three years of damaging fiscal policies and seemingly endless broken promises, Coloradans will hold President Obama accountable when they vote to put an end to his presidency this November.”

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Greenwood Village, CO – Today the Colorado Republican Party announced its final caucus results, with Senator Rick Santorum certified as the winner of the 2012 Colorado Republican Caucuses. Across the state nearly 3,000 Republican volunteers helped facilitate a successful caucus in what will be a springboard to a Republican victory in Colorado in the general election.  Colorado Republican Party Chairman Ryan Call issued the following statement:

“Last night, Colorado Republicans took an enthusiastic  first step in nominating our candidate to defeat Barack Obama in November. I congratulate Senator Rick Santorum on his victory and I’m confident that no matter who our eventual nominee is, Colorado will do its part this November to elect a Republican President. Poll after poll shows that after three years of broken promises and failed economic policies, Coloradans have soured on Barack Obama, and tonight we proved that we have the momentum heading into November.”

The official results with 100% of precincts reporting are as follows:

Rick Santorum: 26,614 - 40.31%

Mitt Romney: 23,012 – 34.85%

Newt Gingrich: 8,445 – 12.79%

Ron Paul: 7,759 – 11.75%

Write In: 71 - .11%

Rick Perry: 52 - .08%

Jon Huntsman: 46 - .07%

Michele Bachmann: 28 - .04%

Total turnout: 66,027