• “‘His career is in deep, deep trouble,' said political pollster Floyd Ciruli. 'I think it's now very difficult for him to get out from under this.' Ciruli doubts Stone could win re-election. 'Columbine had a lot of unintended consequences for a lot of people, and John Stone is one of the victims.'"

May 11, 2001 The issue: An editorial by business editor Robert Reuteman explains that even though Denver failed to woe the coveted Boeing headquarters, politicians including Denver Mayor Wellington Webb and Governor Bill Owens set a compromise tone.

• “‘The put aside partisan differences,’ said political consultant Floyd Ciruli. ‘The usual parochial squabbling was not in evidence this time. Every party was at the table. There was less infighting and close-elbowing. Both men had to calibrate their positions carefully. We didn’t promise things that Owens wouldn’t want to deliver. We don’t like to spend money on subsidies. We don’t want a lot more growth.’”

April 12, 2001 The issue: Republicans who lost control of the Colorado State Senate have census numbers on their side as they try to recoup their loss at the next election.

• Ignoring many factors of campaigning, such as the number of incumbents running and the quality and funding of candidates, it appears the reapportionment process provides the Republicans with a modest advantage,' said pollster Floyd Ciruli. — Indeed, with this reapportionment, Pueblo and Denver will lose influence and hurt the Democrats.' "

March 12, 2001 The issue: When the Democrats took control of the Colorado State Senate, insiders predicted pitched battles over issues big and small. But, at least at the midway point of the session, legislators managed to keep their bickering out of the public eye.

• Right after the election, it was clear that (Senate Minority Leader John) Andrews and others would fight tooth and nail over committee positions, assignments, titles and office space,' Ciruli said. – If it's still going on, it's behind the scenes. I just haven't seen the bitterness I expected.'"

Feb. 25, 2001 The issue: U.S. Republican Sen. Wayne Allard has logged more town meetings than any other Colorado delegation member. The meetings could help him fend off what is certain to be a well-financed and difficult assault from Democrats who would like to win the seat and tip the Senate's 50/50 split.

• "Allard's town meetings record is—exceptional' says Floyd Ciruli. And it might be critical to his re-election. — Do you know how much money is going to come in to defeat Allard? It will come in trucks,' Ciruli said."

January 2001 The issue: A John Sanko story reported that Gov. Bill Owens deals with a new legislative dynamic in which conservatives taking on House leadership roles and a Democrat-controlled senate might require Owens to work harder for his agenda.

• "Ciruli says it could be a good two years for Owens politically — much better than if very conservative Republicans had won control of both houses. ‘I think Owens understands given the closeness of his election and the politics of Colorado that you need to stay pretty close to the middle. Given what happened in the primary election in August, had some of those very conservative Republicans won (legislative seats) in November, he might have been stymied in trying to lead the state toward the middle.’ But there is a downside to Democrats controlling the Senate as well, Ciruli said. ‘Some individuals will have a platform to challenge and criticize him and possibly launch their own careers for governor, Congress and other posts.’"

12/6/00 The issue: Due to higher turnout in the 2000 presidential election, Coloradans wanting to place an issue on the ballot will have to gather almost 20,000 more signatures than previous years (a total of about 80,000).

• "Ciruli said the higher figure will make it more expensive to get on the ballot, but he doubted it would prevent many groups from making the effort. Because so many campaigns are conducted now with paid petition circulators, it simply makes it more expensive."

7/13/00 The issue: A June 30- July 7, 2000 Ciruli Associates poll shows that two-thirds of Denver metro residents want to keep the Mile High name on the new Broncos stadium.

• "The name is part of what I believe a lot of people think is the tradition and heritage of the area, said Floyd Ciruli, whose firm conducted the poll."

7/00 The issue: Does ethnicity prevent Hispanic politicians such as State Attorney General Ken Salazar from being elected to high office in Colorado?

• "Sure, there's ethnic prejudice in this state, but, as pollster Floyd Ciruli observes, ...'it tends to be tied up in ideology.' Coloradans probably wouldn't elect a Hispanic who'd been identified as an urban liberal, he explains, or who campaigned self-consciously as an ethnic candidate."

6/12/00 The issue: Congresswoman Diana DeGette of Denver is being challenged by Denver City Councilwoman Ramona Martinez, and is finding it tough to live up to her predecessor, Patricia Schroeder.

• "Floyd Ciruli, a longtime political consultant and pollster, described Martinez's challenge as a 'sort of a warning shot' that was clearly triggered in part by Denver's influential organized-labor movement. He said it will probably be impossible for DeGette to achieve the political influence or national stature of Schroeder, the first female member of the Armed Services Committee and a liberal icon who briefly mounted a presidential campaign. 'Pat Schroeder was a legend,' Ciruli said. 'And clearly, Diana DeGette is not going to become that kind of a national spokesperson. On the other hand, should the Democrats take over (majority control of the House) she could become a very important player.' "

5/18/00 The issue: Public and political attention already was focused on Denver Public Schools before the Board fired Superintendent Chip Zullinger. Now, the Board must act wisely to replace Zullinger in a time when voters and community leaders are demanding reform.

• " `The governor has put everyone on notice (with his new system to grade schools), and this district is facing the most difficult challenge, said Floyd Ciruli, a business and political consultant who has worked for DPS and other districts. `To say it can't be done is not acceptable. I can't remember this much turmoil' since budget and labor troubles hit in 1991. `This is not a happy time for DPS,' Ciruli said."

5/15/00 The issue: Colorado voters could face 23 ballot issues this November that tackle growth, guns, taxes and more.

• "There may be more interest and more intensity around the ballot issues in Colorado this year than the presidential election...Growth, guns and taxes '”those are probably the big three. And then there are issues like abortion and medical marijuana. I don't know if we'll have a record number of issues on the ballot, but there will be some important economic interests getting involved.' "

5/15/00 The issue: Floyd Ciruli predicted a robust year for local and state ballot issues, and for the public attention that will reign down on what might be a record-number of issues.

• "Colorado voters could face a record year for ballot issues, ranging from tax cuts to gun-buying checks to putting the brakes on urban sprawl. `There may be more interest and more intensity around the ballot issues in Colorado this year than the presidential election,' said pollster and political consultant Floyd Ciruli. `Growth, guns and taxes—those are probably the big three. And then there are issues like abortion and medical marijuana. I don't know if we'll have a record number of issues on the ballot, but there will be some important economic interests getting involved. "

5/14/00 The issue: The Mother's Day "Million Mom March" across the nation and locally aimed their political clout at lawmakers, and urged them to adopt "common sense" gun laws. In Colorado, lawmakers aren't paying much attention despite overwhelming public opinion.

• "The numbers of people in favor of gun control already are large, pollster Floyd Ciruli said. Consider the ballot initiative to require criminal background checks for all gun show sales. Ciruli's latest poll found 72 percent of Coloradans definitely support it, while only 10 percent strongly oppose it. Even so, the state legislature killed a bill—backed by Gov. Bill Owens—to close this so-called gun show loophole. ‘I would be surprised if you see any sea change as far as legislative outlook on gun control,' Ciruli said. "They're resisting a lot of public opinion.' "

3/26/2000 The issue: Colorado Gov. Bill Owens won supporters with his public attack on John and Patsy Ramsey, parents of murder victim JonBenet Ramsey. Owens enjoyed a spike in national name recognition.

"Other than Jesse Ventura, could you name a governor today?" asked pollster Floyd Ciruli. "Get involved in one issue that is national in scope—and the JonBenet Ramsey murder certainly is that—and suddenly you are known by everyone. My sense is that he's a winner on this one. This is the Ramsey public relations machine. Owens is the only person that has effectively interrupted it at a national level."

3/6/2000 The issue: Despite Al Gore's good showing in the primary, winning Colorado in the November election will be difficult.

"This state historically has gone Republican with a few exceptions. This will be difficult for Gore to win, but it's not impossible. Both Clinton and Gore have given Colorado a lot of attention over the years by coming here and with appointments from the state to national positions," Ciruli said.

2/6/2000 The issue: Heading into the November presidential race, Al Gore has refined his candidacy and energized his message.

"He's become a much better candidate, beginning when he had his epiphany, moved his campaign to Tennessee and shook up some of his advisors. He looks a little more conversational, and he's avoided having to go too far to the left. On the other hand, he's come off as extremely aggressive and there may be some kind of trailing comment that it's partisan and harsh and not presidential," Ciruli said.

12/30/98 The Issue: The Cabinet assembled by Bill Owens is viewed as middle of the road by Democrats who feared he would be ultra-conservative and Republicans who insisted all along that Owens is not an arch-conservative. Although his appointments include some Democrats, the overall makeup is palatable to both parties.

"...This is clearly a Republican administration,' said Floyd Ciruli. `It is far more conservative than Roy Romer's. But in terms of his appointments, he has a team around him that's largely mainstream, and it's there to manage government. Maybe a smaller, more efficient government, but it's not there to abolish it.' "

7/17/98: The Issue: Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Owens misstated his Vietnam draft situation when he told a reporter he did not take a student deferment (he had deferment status from 1969 to 1971) Floyd Ciruli was asked by media to comment on the outcome of Owens' mistake.

• "...Pollster Floyd Ciruli, who follows Colorado politics closely, said the flap is `an absolute godsend to (candidate Mike) Feeley,' who can point to his military record as distinguishing himself from Schoettler. The two have similar positions on the issues. `This is exactly the issue he would like visibility on,' Ciruli said of Feeley. Ciruli said Owens might survive the issue, particularly since it occurred early in the race. He said Owens was wise to begin countering the story early in the day. Ciruli said the issue could fade in a few days if the other candidates don't press it. If Owens wins the primary, the issue is likely to be seen as old news by the time of the November election, Ciruli said. ..."

7/12/98: The Issue: Republican candidate for the 6th Congressional District Sam Zakhem is fighting hard in a crowded field of Republicans. The former U.S. ambassador and Colorado legislator won the top line in the primary.

• " ... Sam is the ultimate comeback kid in politics,' said political analyst Floyd Ciruli, a former Democratic Party chairman. `When it comes to party loyalty, Sam is always there.' ..."

6/4/98: The Issue: In a recent Ciruli Associates poll, Coloradans supported curbs on bilingual teaching.

• "...The desire to curb bilingual education is as strong in the metro area as it is in California, pollster Floyd Ciruli said. A resounding 67 percent said they would support limiting bilingual education to two years and require intense instruction in English during that time, Ciruli said. Bilingual education `is an issue in the state of Colorado. If it was on the ballot, it would probably pass,' he said. ..."

2/8/98: The Issue: In light of Clinton's crisis concerning the White House intern, many are debating whether it's fair to seek information on private lives of politicians. Does the public hold politicians to a higher standard? Should it?

• "Political analyst Floyd Ciruli said most Americans seem to place more importance on a politician's performance in office than on his standards in his personal life...`Part of the problem is that politicians talk in moral terms. They bring their families into campaigns. They make references to high moral values. When they don't appear to live up to them, they are subject to considerable criticism.' ... Still, he added, `There is growing sentiment that we ought to allow some private space.' ..."

2/8/98: The Issue: The race for Colorado governor in 1998 will be critical to defining the state's politics for the next decade. The Republicans hold an important voter registration advantage over the Democrats. Ciruli told the Rocky that the race will be important to the state for years, especially if a Republican is elected to an office that has been held by a Democrat since 1970. It would give the state both a Republican held governor's office, and Republican-controlled State Legislature.

• "...`It's going to be historic and extremely significant,' political analyst Floyd Ciruli said. `Twenty-four years of Democratic rule is being challenged very seriously.'...One problem for Democrats, Ciruli said, is that several national players, including (Gov. Roy) Romer and (former U.S. Rep. Patricia) Schroeder, have dominated the party. `There never was much of a bench.'..."

1/27/98: The Issue: The Broncos Super Bowl victory fueled speculation that voters would support a sales tax to build a new stadium. Ciruli cautioned supporters to cool their optimism:

• " ... `It (the win) is valuable, but it's not the determining factor. There are other issues that will be important to people when they go to vote on it. How often do voters write a blank check? Seldom.' ... "

• “Pollster Floyd Ciruli had expected a session that ‘was going to be very confrontational with a lot of bombast.’ Republicans had elected conservative to key leadership jobs, including Doug Dean of Colorado Springs as House speaker and John Andrews of Centennial as Senate minority leader. The Democrats had one unabashed bulldog liberal lin their lineup, Majority Leader Bill Thiebaut of Pueblo, but Senate President Stan Matsunaka of Loveland and House Minority Leader Dan Grossman of Denver are moderates.
  
  But Dean, at least, was not the vindictive partisan his critics had expected. And Matsunaka’s tenacity surprised some observers. ‘Clearly it was smoother than I expected. There were wins on both sides and a lot of compromises,’ Ciruli said. He said the session’s big successes were finding money to keep transportation projects funded and programs implementing voter-approved spending for education.”

April 21, 2001 The issue: The legislature's growth debate has been troubled by people acting like "12-year-olds" instead of adults, according to Post columnist Bob Ewegen. But Ewegen said the legislature might pass a growth bill yet, thanks to a few adults on the fray.

• "The new cooperative mood owes much to the intervention of two adult Democrats. The first was veteran pollster Floyd Ciruli, who warned Democrats that they had – managed to make (House Speaker) Doug Dean look reasonable' and urged them to compromise their differences with the House."

April 20, 2001 The issue: A Fred Brown column details how the 2000 census data gives Republicans a modest edge for reapportionment, according to an analysis by Floyd Ciruli. Reapportionment has to be done before the 2002 election, and when legislative boundaries are redrawn to reflect changes in population, Republicans are likely to be the winners.

• "Historically, Democrats have fared poorly in reapportionment, Ciruli said, because they tend to represent core cities and rural areas with declining populations."

March 24, 2001 The issue: A Democrat poll shows that Republican U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard could face a tough re-election. The Democrats will fight hard to win the seat given the Senate's 50/50 split.

• "Political consultant Floyd Ciruli said it's not necessarily that worrisome for a low-profile senator such as Allard to suffer from low name recognition at this stage. He said he had figured Mark Udall as the front-runner in the race early on. But he said that Webb has avoided some of the intense dislike often aimed at Denver mayors from the suburbs and rural areas. Allard's real vulnerability, Ciruli said, is having only $200,000 in the bank for the campaign."

March 10, 2001 The issue: A Democrat poll floated several names to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard. Among them: Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, Colorado U.S. Attorney Tom Strickland, Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, Denver district Attorney Bill Ritter and several state legislators. Ciruli commented on Webb's chances.

• "Independent pollster Floyd Ciruli said Webb isn't the top candidate, but he might be a strong one. – The mayor of Denver had difficulty because...he is identified as a liberal Democrat, ...but Webb has traveled around the state for (former Vice President Al) Gore and has had a strong economy and been tough on crime,' Ciruli said. Ciruli added that Udall and Salazar are probably the strongest candidates, but Webb is one of the top names because he could raise a lot of money. – He's in the upper echelon and in his case the polling numbers are a very important aspect.'"

12/2/01 The issue: Razor-thin 2000 election results demonstrate the increasingly sophisticated science of campaigning, in which consultants identify and target voting blocks. Ciruli was quoted extensively in Diane Carmen’s column.

• "Ciruli calls it ‘moldable humanity,’ they’re the folks without party affiliation or fixed views. They are the holy grail o the modern election contest. ‘The beauty of focus groups is that you can assemble uncommitted voters and give them the messages that shave off the rough edges of your candidate. That’s why both candidates end up sounding alike.’"

7/13/00 The issue: A June 30-July 7, 2000 Ciruli Associates poll shows that Denver metro area residents believe the name Mile High is steeped in tradition and should remain on the new Broncos stadium.

• "Floyd Ciruli said the issue is important not just to sports fans. Of those polled, 66 percent of the season ticket-holders wanted to keep the name and 64 percent of those who don't go to the games felt the same way. A higher percentage of women in each category, 67 percent, also endorsed Mile High. 'The name is part of our heritage and tradition of the area and goes beyond the Broncos, Ciruli said.' "

4/24/99 The Issue: In a 1999 poll, voters were asked whether a candidate's sexual orientation makes a difference to voters.

"Seventy-three percent said it would make no difference, 16 percent said they would be less likely and 8 percent said they would be more likely to support a gay activist candidate."

9/17/98: The Issue: Experts are predicting a big year for Republican candidates, who could benefit from Democrats disillusioned by President Clinton's problems with Monica Lewinsky.

• "...Political dirt on both sides could simply turn voters off. That, pollster Floyd Ciruli said, would only strengthen the trend of low voter turnouts, which would help Republicans. ... `Low turnout will help the Republican candidates as Republicans have a larger base and more committed voters,' Ciruli wrote in his post-primary newsletter. ..."

8/14/98: The Issue: High profile races in Colorado are expected to break campaign spending records. The race for U.S. Senate between Ben Nighthorse Campbell and Dottie Lamm will approach or top the $7.7 million record spent in 1986. The Mark Udall and Bob Greenlee race for congress will set a record.

• "...Ciruli believes each candidate this year could hit $1 million, besting the combined $1.2 million spent two years ago by Rep. Diana DeGette and her Republican challenger, Joe Rogers. ... Campbell, as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, will draw funds from energy companies, real estate interests and transportation-related industries, Ciruli said. ... Ciruli said he expects Lamm to eventually collect about $3 million and Campbell $4 million or more. The record of $7.7 million was set in 1986 when Tim Wirth won a U.S. Senate seat."

7/19/98 The Issue: Across Colorado, the Republican Party is making huge gains among new voters. Republicans now have a 120,000-voter advantage over Democrats, who have picked up only one-fifth of 700,000 new voters who registered statewide since 1993.

"...Pollster Floyd Ciruli thinks Californians have made Colorado more Republican. In one recent political survey, he found virtually equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans among natives, but a wide Republican lead – 44 percent to 28 percent – among those who moved here in the past decade. `There is a huge tilt toward the Republicans,' he said."

7/18/98: The Issue: The war chests for 6th Congressional District candidates Tom Tancredo and Sam Zakhem are growing. Financial disclosure forms as of mid- July show Tancredo has raised $104,139 while opponent Sam Zakhem has amassed $57,626 in donations and $77,885 of his own funds. Zakhem moves into the primary with a higher name recognition than Tancredo.

• "...He enjoys a level of name recognition that's likely to help in the Aug. 11 Republican primary, political analyst Floyd Ciruli said. `It's still early, but Sam has the top line on the ballot and is most obviously spending money for name identification,' Ciruli said. ..."

Regarding the Owens fallout, "Political pollster Floyd Ciruli said it was hard to assess the damage to Owens' candidacy. `The public is not surprised by these things and tends to have a short attention span about them,' Ciruli said. `While his fundamental explanation is doubtful in many people's minds, Owen's has responded with the right tone and the right vigor.' ...

"...In Colorado, polls indicate that the newcomers have been far more likely to register Republican than Democratic, according to Floyd Ciruli, president of Ciruli Associates. `We got the Southern Californians, the people facing the fires, the floods, the riots and all the other reasons to leave,' he said. Republicans out here speak of an orderly society and personal responsibility.'..."

4/16/98: The Issue: Colorado Gov. Roy Romer's public confession of a 16-year extra- marital relationship failed to weaken his standing among those polled.

• "...Early in March, a telephone poll of residents in the Denver area showed that the Governor's "favorability" rating had not budged from the January pre-news-conference level, 54 percent. His job-approval rating in March was 68 percent. The job-approval question was not asked in January. `This was pretty short scandal in terms of media life,' said Floyd Ciruli, whose polling company, Ciruli Associates, conducted both polls. In the only major change, the March poll detected a rise of 11 percentage points in the Governor's "unfavorable" rating, largely from disenchanted women, Republicans and the elderly. In contrast, his rating increased slightly among young people and men..."

• “Floyd Ciruli, a respected political pollster who grew up in Pueblo, observed that Colorado’s population growth is concentrated in suburban Republican areas. Pueblo and Denver will lose influence, Ciruli predicted, to the detriment of Democrats.”

11/08/99 The Issue: November 1999's successful transportation election puts Gov. Bill Owens in the driver's seat.

"He has policy momentum and political strength. Governors in this state have come to realize that unless you can win ballot issues, you can't effectively govern. Winning this really sets him up as a governor who can dominate the policy process.

Story in 9/17/98 Pueblo Chieftain Issue:
Pollster says public opinion may not save Clinton

• Not even the state's top pollster banks on the polls right now.
• In an address Wednesday before the Southern Colorado Press Club, opinion sampler Floyd Ciruli of Denver offered his insights.

Summer 1998: The Issue: Mr. Ciruli wrote about the "Anti-Politics of the West" after participating in the Center for the New West's 1997 forum titled "New West Politics: Old West Values." This "anti-political" trend has influenced American politics through its support of policies that constrain political parties and leaders.

"Westerners have led the nation in advancing just about every political reform that in some way constrains political parties, hems in political institutions or otherwise limits the exercise of governmental power. ... From California's Proposition 13 in 1978 to Colorado's tax-limitation initiative in 1992, the West leads the nation in imposing controls on taxing and spending by state governments. These efforts come from groups of citizens getting together to limit the power of political institutions." [full article]

• "Another reason for the change, says pollster Floyd Ciruli, is the declining partisanship of many independent-leaning voters, ‘People don't understand or respect parties as much' so when one party criticizes the other, it's a pox on both their candidates...Politicians are also getting more adept at using the stigma against negative attacks to skewer one another. President Clinton, says Mr. Ciruli ‘...has patented the argument that any criticism of him is patently unfair,' especially in the Monica Lewinsky scandal...The irony here (during the campaign) is that both sides have to criticize each other, but in a way that's not critical.'"

6/12/00 The issue: Former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer will bring reform to Los Angeles schools.

• "Floyd Ciruli, a Democratic consultant and school reform activist in Denver, says Romer's approach as governor was always hands-on. When a teachers' strike was threatened at Denver Public Schools in 1990, Romer stepped in and personally took over six months of negotiations between the teachers and the school district, carefully crafting a contract that was acceptable to both sides. 'That's the kind of mediation style he has,' says Mr. Ciruli. 'I think he'll make a tremendous run at [his new job]. If the power structure in L.A. '“the education establishment, the business community, and the political community '“wants him to succeed and is willing to make some sacrifices, he may have a successful tenure.' "

3/9/00 "Further narrowing the field of swing voters, there's the fact that Bush and Gore have so successfully bolstered their traditional bases in the primaries. Bush has appealed to conservatives to counter McCain's support among independents and crossover voters. Gore has wooed union and blue-collar voters to keep Bradley from making inroads among these traditional Democratic stalwarts.

• But that leaves an important segment of the electorate largely unattached–independents, including McCain's many supporters.
  
  And of course, the US economy can always reshape the race–almost instantaneously. If gasoline prices remain high and "we get a real bout of inflation and stock-market drops," says Ciruli, "The Clinton/Gore economic record is going to be in real trouble."

3/4/00 - In Age of Spin, Voters Yearn for the Blunt -Although McCain failed to win his party's nomination, he exposed a widespread desire for genuine candidates. McCain made "authenticity" and "blunt talk" buzz phrases for the 2000 presidential campaign. Bush and Gore quickly showed signs of learning from his example.

• McCain, despite losing the nomination, struck an important chord with voters that candidates Bush and Gore must appeal to in order to win. "There's a feeling out there that an alien force controls Washington," Ciruli told the Monitor. "It's a combination of money, spin and polling. And the backdrop is Clinton (who reportedly once polled to decide whether to lie about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
  

2/29/00 - Rising Issue for GOP: Electability
George W. Bush's hard scrabble primary against McCain pierced the front-runner's widely accepted "electability." The primary showed that Bush could stand up and fight, but has yet to show he can get back to the middle and win with independents and swing voters.

• "Despite some missteps, Bush proved in South Carolina that he could fight back from a loss and campaign hard. It's something that (Bush) will have to do well. ‘Republicans are sure they've got a fighter,' Floyd Ciruli told the Monitor. ‘They're just not certain they have a winner.'"

2/4/00 Story: Presidential candidate John McCain's "straight talk" appeals to voters tired of spin control.

"...McCain's now-famous 115 town meetings in New Hampshire `was 115 times he stood in front of people prepared to say what was in his heart.' In this era of mistrust of politicians, that got him far, Mr. Ciruli says. `There's a feeling out there that an alien force controls Washington. It's a combination of money, spin and polling.' And 'the backdrop is Clinton,' Ciruli insists, who reportedly took a poll to decide whether to lie about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky..."

1/29/98: The Issue: President Clinton's recent scandal involving a White House intern has Democrats worried they will suffer in fundraising and upcoming elections.

• "...Denver Pollster Floyd Ciruli, a former state Democratic chairman, reports 'There's terrible anxiety among Democrats in Colorado.' Mr. Ciruli sees the specter of 1974, when a Watergate-damaged GOP was trounced in fall elections -- a vote that, in Colorado, catapulted Democrats Richard Lamm, Gary Hart, and Timothy Wirth into office. Now, with a Senate seat and the governorship up for grabs, the Democrats are at a disadvantage..."
  

• "Ciruli said lawmakers got that message in no uncertain terms when they were criticized in the fall for setting hard-line positions on education funding and becoming mired in harshly partisan fights regarding leadership positions and committee membership. `My reading is that both sides have backed off and are going to make at least some effort to work together. You’ve already seen attempts to run plays that were really aggressive and very partisan and suddenly they’re back in the huddle saying ‘Maybe we can figure out how to finesse this a little and compromise a little.’"

8/13/98: The Issue: The nomination of two women to key state races will help focus the election on family issues.

• "...Political analyst Floyd Ciruli said the two women already have staked out their ground on issues that appeal primarily to women, and the two Republican candidates are scrambling to catch up. Ciruli said that traditionally women are more interested in issues such as health care and education because they are more likely to make the family decision on those issues. Men are more concerned about the economy and gun control, he said. Ciruli said that to Republicans, family values mean emphasizing the responsibilities families have for controlling their own destiny, including their children's education, their religious values and morality. `When Democrats talk about family values, they talk about domestic abuse, education and health care,' he said. ..."

8/13/98: The Issue: Money, name identification and organization were, once again, the forces behind the primary results in Colorado.

• "...Political analyst and pollster Floyd Ciruli said calls for a more conservative GOP agenda did not pay off in many cases at the polls. `With the victories of Joe Rogers and Ben Campbell, both of whom were under assault at the state convention, it really indicates the moderate wing, under the right circumstances, can still dominate a nomination.' Ciruli said the Legislature might be a little more conservative. Moderate GOP incumbents in the House won their primaries, but some open seats went to conservatives.

1/17/98: The Issue: A Super Bowl win would give the Broncos a public relations boost and help Broncos owner Pat Bowlen's bid for a new stadium, but voter support or opposition is more broadly based than mere PR.

• "...We're seeing that these elections around the country are strongly based on the public sense of tax burden and fairness. On that criteria, the kind of proposal that is made, and how much the taxpayers must pay vs. the ownership, will be decisive..."

1/13/98: The Issue: Experts are saying this could be the year for approval of education vouchers that would allow thousands of parents to send children to private schools. Ciruli Associates survey data show that minorities want more choice for their children, and see vouchers as a way for their children to escape public schools. A group of Colorado residents is pushing a ballot initiative for vouchers in 1998.

• "...`It's going to do better than it has in the past.' ... In a recent poll, Ciruli found 57 percent of blacks and 65 percent of Hispanics supported vouchers, while whites were evenly divided..."

• "...One wing, the New Democrat wing, is `dominated by baby boomers' and driven by the abortion-rights and environmental issues, says Floyd Ciruli, a Denver pollster. It is, like Ms. Lamm, socially liberal but fiscally conservative. The other wing, built around labor and minorities, has its roots in an older Colorado–the Colorado of mining and heavy industry, the Colorado that existed before tourism, high tech and a decades-long influx of out-of-staters migrating into the suburbs and cities along the scenic Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. That older wing, particularly labor, `is going to be hard to get back' in the general- election contest, Mr. Ciruli predicts. `If there is one thing about Ben Campbell, it's his strength with labor." As an American Indian, Sen. Campbell has some natural appeal to Hispanics, Mr. Ciruli says..."

• Romer travels to Washington, where the hugs and kisses were videotaped. `The assumption is that the liaison continues. That's almost too bizarre to contemplate,' Ciruli says. ... A poll by Denver's KUSA-TV found nearly half of those surveyed would likely not vote for Romer if he sought elected office again when his third term ends next January. But half also said Romer's statement hadn't changed their minds about him. Ciruli says Romer is paying the price for cultivating the persona of a family man from traditional roots in tiny Holly, Colo. 'But this,' Ciruli says, `is sort of Holly-gone-to-Hollywood.'..."

• "(Romer) wanted to get this behind him as quickly as possible. He's hoping people will put it in the context of more than 40 years of service...He's been speaking for Clinton and representing the DNC and trying to knock down some of the charges against Clinton. That will be more difficult now." As to whether Romer's admission will impact his stand on family values: "It goes to whether people make a separation between private and public life. Politicians are authorities. They use moral authority to try to persuade people. They talk about family values. (The admission) increases the cynicism that people have of politicians across the board."
  
  
• As to whether this will harm Romer politically: "He has close to 40 years of government service. He has a legacy. He wants to do some things in the rest of this legislative session related to taxes. Plus he would love to see a Democrat governor. He wants his endorsement to be important and to be valuable to the ultimate nominee of the Democrat Party in the state, and now that raises some questions as to whether this is long-term damage or just short term."

• "’I predict total war in Washington for the next two years,’ said Ciruli. There is no mandate coming out of this close election.’ Closer to home, the election could strengthen Gov. Bill Owens’ hand at dealing with growth, Ciruli said."

• "With the exception of the very substantial vote for gun control, in voting for the amendments, the support level was very modest. In this election, the public was generous in its spending,’ Ciruli said, citing the overwhelming defeat of Douglas Bruce’s tax-cutting Amendment 21 and the passage of Amendment 23's school funding."

• "...The main indicator that Hispanic voters are gaining more and more influence is the attention that the Republican Party is giving to Hispanic politics and issues..."

8/13/98: The Issue: Candidates in the November election will aim at voters in the middle, especially because the primary results make it difficult to discern the messages voters were sending.

• "...`This will definitely be a battle for the middle,' said political analyst Floyd Ciruli. `Not only are most Coloradans there, but nearly a third of the voters don't claim either party.' To win the middle ground, candidates will have to center their campaigns on issues that touch people's lives and avoid the ideological mudslinging that marked the primary. `Most candidates will stay away from intense ideological appeals,' Ciruli said. `But that won't stop them from engaging in some pretty strong attacks on each other.'..."
  
  

• “Pollster Floyd Ciruli said all sides on the issue had a lot to lose without a compromise because voters listed it as one of their top issues. ‘The governor made it his No. 1 state of the state priority, (House Speaker Doug) Dean and (Senate President Stan) Matsunaka made it clear they wanted growth bills, so it’s clearly going to be perceived as a failure,’ Ciruli said.”
  
  

• "It feels different. Clinton has nine lives and he's survived a lot of crises. But finally the press has turned into a pack, as opposed to when Gennifer Flowers or Paula Jones made the charges. They (reporters) are looking at evidence, Newsweek is breaking the story, and it's deathly quiet out there (among his supporters)."

1/23/98: The Issue: Will Clinton's problems damage Democratic fund-raising?

• "It could make this the worst year, and the Democrats have had some bad years. 1998 could be a real bottom for them."

• “Ciruli told the Loveland Democrat there were problems with his idea: secrecy grates on people. They don’t like it. And it had political management costs. He would have to manage negotiations on the side while running the Senate; opponents could hold the negotiations hostage or leak information. All these things happen when you bring people together with different views in a small room, Ciruli warned...Ciruli thinks Matsunaka was serious, his idea was well-intended.”
  
  

• "Consultant Floyd Ciruli says Romer's [Western style] isn't an act. 'Romer does have a very middle-class, rural background. He's a self-made individual. He's had some tough times. That part is authentic. The fact that he talks about it '“I think it's his way of saying, while I'm part of the political establishment, I will not lose touch with you as working people, as taxpayers.' "

6/7/00 The issue: When former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer was selected as superintendent for the Los Angeles School District, Floyd Ciruli told the paper that his past bodes well for his new position.

• "...Denver political pollster and consultant Floyd Ciruli figured that Romer will fit comfortably in Los Angeles. 'Romer is a Democratic Richard Riordan. He's a businessman and when it comes to schools, he's big on standards and testing, teacher training and involved parents. When he runs into a roadblock, he fights to find a way around it.' "