UPDATE: In the interview below, Coffman Spokesman Tyler Sandberg said that former GOP Chair Steve House “graciously” paid fees for 20 Coffman delegates for the district assembly. In fact, House told KNUS’ Julie Hayden and Chuck Bonniwell that he donated the money to the Adams County Republican Party. He was then asked by Sandberg if his money could be used for delegate fees. House said yes initially but, in accordance with GOP rules, House then deferred the decision on how his money should be spent to Adams County GOP Chair Anil Mathai, House told KNUS, who appears to have blocked the money from going to Coffman delegate fees. Listen to House here.
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“There was a battle last night between the liberty forces, represented by [Congressman Mike Coffman’s primary challenger] Roger Edwards, and the establishment, represented by Mike Coffman, at an executive committee meeting [of the Adams County Republican Party],” said KNUS radio host Chuck Boniwell on air Wednesday afternoon.
And the battle continued on Bonniwell’s radio show, with accusations of vote-buying, assault, bullying, thuggery, and more.
At issue is a group of Coffman delegates to the district assembly who apparently had their delegate fees paid for by former state GOP Chair Steve House. Whether this was a violation of the rules is not clear at press time.
But the intensity of the argument, as you can hear if you listen below, shows that the Coffman camp is seriously worried about Edwards winning over 30 percent of delegates at the upcoming district assembly–which would put Edwards on the primary ballot against Coffman.
In other words, if the mood were good in the Coffman campaign, Sandberg wouldn’t be scraping for stray delegates in Adams County, much less spending his afternoon sparring with conservative radio hosts who apparently despise him and Coffman.
You recall, an informal vote of Adams Country caucus-goers showed Edwards trouncing Coffman by a 67-33 percent margin.
But, in any case, the altercation on the radio was quite awful.
“My father would whup my ass if I stood by while a woman was bullied by a man who has a foot on her and about a hundred pounds,” said Sandberg on air, referring to Adams County GOP Chair Anil Mathai. “I told Anil, ‘You are not going to bully Maria Ruiz. I am not going to stand for that.'”
“Anil likes to bully people,” said Sandberg on air.
Edwards told Bonniwell that it was the Coffman people who went nuts, characterizing the Coffman campaign’s behavior at the Adams County meeting as “rude and offensive.”
Listen to key segments here. Click here for the entire show.
