Ed Haynes knows exactly what he’s looking for in a president: someone who has run a state rather than served in the U.S. Senate.
That’s why the 70-year-old Fort Collins resident is most interested in what his two favorite candidates, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, have to say at the Western Conservative Summit gathering in Denver this weekend.
“I want to hear enough to validate my position that a governor would be better than a senator,” he said.
David Roth, a 31-year-old attorney, has no favorites, in part because the Republican field is so crowded.
“I just want to hear what they have to say,” he said. “For me, it’s all about electability.”
With the presidential election a year away and the Republican field wide open, this year’s summit has attendees buzzing as seven presidential hopefuls are speaking.
A variety of groups — from the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity to the Reagan Club of Colorado — set up booths at the Colorado Conference Center, where the summit is underway.
As expected, much of the talk centered on next year’s presidential race.
Melissa Anema, 47, of Littleton heard Ben Carson speak at last year’s summit and said she can’t wait to hear this year’s speech.
Thom Tougas, 75, of Centennial, also is a Carson fan.
“He has a good grasp of what is going on,” he said. “The negative I have with the gentleman is he doesn’t have a lot of charisma.”
Frank Olivier, 60, of Tucson said he doesn’t have a favorite.
“I’m open,” he said. “But I can tell you who I don’t like: Jeb Bush. He doesn’t live up to conservative principles.”
Jennifer Tomme, 35, said she’s interested in hearing from Walker. “He’s done a lot in his state,” she said. “He fought the unions.”
Earlier Friday at the Brown Palace, presidential candidate Carly Fiorina spoke to a crowd that included GOP state lawmakers.
She was asked what she thought of presidential hopeful Donald Trump.
“Let the Donald go do what the Donald’s going to do,” she said.
“I’m going train my fire on Hillary Clinton, on the policies she is trying to lay out for this nation, and talk about why our values and our principles work better to unlock the potential of every American in this country.”
Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327, lbartels@denverpost.com or twitter.com/lynn_bartels
