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DENVER - Hoping to recover from a series of stinging defeats, state Republican Party leaders have asked former Colorado campaign manager Dick Wadhams to return and run for state party chairman, The Associated Press has learned.
Wadhams guided Republican candidates to victory in Colorado, Montana and South Dakota before signing on this year with Virginia GOP Sen. George Allen in Virginia, a potential presidential contender who blew a comfortable lead in the polls and lost his re-election bid last month.
Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany said Thursday he began recruiting Wadhams shortly after the November election, when Republicans lost control of the governorship and an open seat in the U.S. House. Two years earlier, they lost control of the Legislature as well as another open seat in the U.S. House and one in the U.S. Senate.
"I've been recruiting him as hard as I can," McElhany said.
Wadhams would say only that he does plan to return to Colorado and is considering several offers.
"I don't know what I'm going to do yet," he said.
House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, said he also has asked Wadhams to run for party leadership.
McElhany said it hasn't been determined whether the party's central committee would ask the current party chairman, Bob Martinez, to step down, saying "that's all up in the air."
Wadhams would still have to run for the post at the state party central meeting in March.
Martinez said he does not plans to run for re-election in March, and he encouraged the party to find a new leader.
"I signed on to this party for a two-year term. I was hoping to lead the party to success. I gave it my best shot. I don't think there is any need for me to step aside," he said.
Wadhams managed Allen's re-election campaign this year, a candidate who had been expected to cruise to a second term and make a run for the White House in 2008.
Allen was comfortably ahead in polls until August, when he referred to the son of Indian immigrants as "Macaca," regarded by some as a racial slur. The incident, caught on videotape, became international news.
In Colorado, Wadhams managed Wayne Allard's successful 1996 and 2002 senatorial campaigns, and was the campaign manager for Bill Owens, who in 1998 became the first Republican elected governor in 24 years.
Six years ago, he took Montana Sen. Conrad Burns' ailing campaign and turned it into a victory.
In South Dakota, he was credited with engineering the defeat of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.
State Democratic Party chairwoman Pat Waak said Martinez has been blamed for the Republicans' recent problems, whether he deserves it or not.
"That's not always the chairman's fault, but the chairman always gets the blame," she said.
Independent pollster Floyd Ciruli said bringing in Wadhams would be a good move for Republicans.
"I think there has been a sense that since Wadhams left that the party has not had the kind of strategic leadership that Wadhams is so good at," Ciruli said.
Wadhams guided Republican candidates to victory in Colorado, Montana and South Dakota before signing on this year with Virginia GOP Sen. George Allen in Virginia, a potential presidential contender who blew a comfortable lead in the polls and lost his re-election bid last month.
Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany said Thursday he began recruiting Wadhams shortly after the November election, when Republicans lost control of the governorship and an open seat in the U.S. House. Two years earlier, they lost control of the Legislature as well as another open seat in the U.S. House and one in the U.S. Senate.
"I've been recruiting him as hard as I can," McElhany said.
Wadhams would say only that he does plan to return to Colorado and is considering several offers.
"I don't know what I'm going to do yet," he said.
House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, said he also has asked Wadhams to run for party leadership.
McElhany said it hasn't been determined whether the party's central committee would ask the current party chairman, Bob Martinez, to step down, saying "that's all up in the air."
Wadhams would still have to run for the post at the state party central meeting in March.
Martinez said he does not plans to run for re-election in March, and he encouraged the party to find a new leader.
"I signed on to this party for a two-year term. I was hoping to lead the party to success. I gave it my best shot. I don't think there is any need for me to step aside," he said.
Wadhams managed Allen's re-election campaign this year, a candidate who had been expected to cruise to a second term and make a run for the White House in 2008.
Allen was comfortably ahead in polls until August, when he referred to the son of Indian immigrants as "Macaca," regarded by some as a racial slur. The incident, caught on videotape, became international news.
In Colorado, Wadhams managed Wayne Allard's successful 1996 and 2002 senatorial campaigns, and was the campaign manager for Bill Owens, who in 1998 became the first Republican elected governor in 24 years.
Six years ago, he took Montana Sen. Conrad Burns' ailing campaign and turned it into a victory.
In South Dakota, he was credited with engineering the defeat of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.
State Democratic Party chairwoman Pat Waak said Martinez has been blamed for the Republicans' recent problems, whether he deserves it or not.
"That's not always the chairman's fault, but the chairman always gets the blame," she said.
Independent pollster Floyd Ciruli said bringing in Wadhams would be a good move for Republicans.
"I think there has been a sense that since Wadhams left that the party has not had the kind of strategic leadership that Wadhams is so good at," Ciruli said.
