Norton to skip Colo. GOP convention

Colorado GOP Senate candidate Jane Norton announced Tuesday she would bypass her party’s state assembly next month and instead gather petitions to secure her place on the August primary ballot.

Her decision amounts to a high-stakes gamble that virtually cedes the GOP convention to Ken Buck, the insurgent district attorney who is riding a wave of anti-establishment Tea Party support and threatening to derail Norton’s front runner status.

“This is not a decision I have made lightly. The convention remains a vital part of Colorado’s political process, but the next six weeks are far too important to spend campaigning solely to a small bloc of voters,” Norton said in a statement.

The move assures that Norton will have no presence at the May 22 state assembly in Loveland, and opens the door for Buck to dominate the delegate count as well as increase his profile among grassroots conservatives.

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