This post was originally published on June 9th and endorsed Charles Crain. I later decided that I desired to stay neutral in the primary and deleted it. George Lilly then sent me an email with the threat of a lawsuit clearly intended to prevent me from endorsing his primary opponent or criticizing his candidacy. In light of this, I am reissuing Rocky Mountain Right's endorsement of Charles Crain. Lilly's complaint at the above link can be read in full, upon examining his complaint and the content of this post it became clear that Lilly had no legal standing to threaten a libel suit as the post clearly addresses his problems with those running the Schaffer campaign and the Colorado GOP as well as the behavior of his supporters and my opinion that he would be a drag on the statewide races. Nonetheless, Lilly went to great trouble to impress on me that he supports Bob Schaffer and I believe he does like Schaffer, though that doesn't mean his rhetoric towards Dick Wadhams (Schaffer's campaign manager) isn't going to be damaging.

George Lilly should be ashamed of himself for thinking he could intimidate a political blogger with threats of legal action and sending out my home address to his mailing list. I am a firm believer in the First Amendment and I will not be silenced. Political speech is a sacred American right and George Lilly needs to recognize that fact.

While Rocky Mountain Right will remain neutral in most primaries, some present such a clear-cut choice and unusual scenario that an endorsement must be given. One of these scenarios is the Congressional District One primary encompassing Denver's solid Democratic district. While it is a nearly foregone conclusion that the Democrat will be victorious in CD-1, the outcome of this Republican primary is vital to the Bob Schaffer and John McCain candidacies.

At the CD-1 assembly, ballot access was granted to George Lilly and Charles Crain to compete in the primary. George Lilly converted to the Republican Party recently from the Constitution Party and is now running for Congress. At his public appearances at Denver County GOP events he has launched tirades against the Schaffer and McCain campaigns and has made it clear that he will not support the Republican ticket in November. Supporters of Lilly's were responsible for many of the pointless disruptions of the Colorado Republican Convention several weeks ago. His supporters made clear they would not support John McCain and pulled several stunts that included parading around in Uncle Sam outfits while screaming at Dick Wadhams at the podium.

George Lilly is no Republican. While it is doubtful we can win this seat, George Lilly's presence on the ticket could be disruptive enough to harm other Republican candidates running statewide.

Vote Charles Crain in the Republican CD-1 Primary. Tell George Lilly to go back to the Constitution Party.