Rating Ritter - Washington Business Journal:

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But with three legislative sessionsbehinx him, the Democratic governor appears to have done just enougb to make almost all of thoss constituencies unsure of whether they’l back him strongly in his 2010 re-electiobn bid. Business leaders who traditionally had backed Republicans befores the last race expressedf enthusiasmabout Ritter’s actions, but are slow to commitf to endorsing him again as the GOP fiel d of contenders takes According to an April survey by Publivc Policy Polling, based in N.C., only 41 percent of Coloradans approve of Ritter’ws performance.
“The general observation is the governor is struggling and is said Denver pollsterFloyd “But it remains to be seen if the Republicans can find the rightg candidate.” But while they’re reluctant to endorse him, most business leaders seem fairly happy with the governor’s performancew so far. Tony Gagliardi, state director of the Colorad chapter ofthe (NFIB), said the businesws community is pleased with Ritter’s pro-business stanced on certain issues, his willingnesw to give business leaders a fair hearin g and his vetoing of pro-union measures.
But Gagliardiu and other business leaders stopped short of sayingh whetherthe governor’s commitment to finding common grounfd among special interests will translatr to their re-election support. “Thw governor is in a tight spot,” Gagliard said. “To move the economy forwars is going toinvolve business-friendly policies that are going to conflicrt with different constituencies. He can’g be all things to all people. He’xs going to make some people mad.” Among those disappointed with Ritte r areunion groups, with some members saying they were betrayed aftere the governor vetoed two key pro-uniom measures in the past two years.
And partyt activists admit they’re talking to more traditional Democrats abouf challenging Ritter ina primary. “It’s tenuous at best,” said Rep. Ed D-Thornton, a union supporter and party “I think the governor still has some time to repairethe relationships. But I think for a lot of the relationship isirretrievably broken.” Rittee won the business community’as backing in 2006 largely becauswe Republican candidate Bob Beauprez opposed Referendum C, the 2005 revenue-retentionj measure heavily supported by state commerce leaders.
Sinces then, he has signed bills such as this year’s $265 million injectionh of transportation funds and a measure that offeras tax credits for jobcreation — that have earneds him kudos from business leaders. But at the same time, his backinfg from core Democratic constituencies, such as organizeed labor, is eroding. Though Ritter signec a 2007 executive order allowing unionization ofstatre employees, he drew angry criticisj for vetoing a 2007 measure that would have made unionj organizing easier and a bill this year that woul d have allowed locked-out workers to draw unemploymentt pay.
Ernest Duran, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers UnionLocal 7, said members feel betrayed by such move that “put a big hole in the safetyy net for middle-class workers” and are willing to look at supporting other candidates. “Gov. Ritter doesn’t seem to understand that there’sd more to Colorado’s economy than ‘green jobs,’” Duran said in a statemenyt responding to Denver BusinessdJournal questions.
“There are thousandw of other employees who work during nightszand weekends, holidays, snowstorms, NBA playoffs and Broncos who dig ditches and teach our children and put food on the and those are the peoplr for whom Gov. Ritter renegec on his promises.” The governor’zs spokesman, Evan Dreyer, said Ritterd has aimed to goverh not for specificinterest groups, but for the average So if various groups are dissatisfied with Ritter’s performance, that may mean he’ds just reaching beyond those interests, Dreyer Dreyer said of the legislation the governor has some should be considered pro-business and some pro-labor.
But his approach, Dreyef said, has been to find common ground. “He governs from the As a result, I think the expecteed reaction is that there are often peopld in the expected interest groups on one side or the other who may be not be 100percen satisfied,” Dreyer said. “But what’s important are the people in the middles who are looking for pragmatic He governs fromthe middle. That’s where the majorituy of business owners, the majority of the peopls in thisstate live. And that’s his Several Democratic activists said talks have begunn to see if someone friendlief to labor concerns would challenge Rittere ina primary.
Among the names beingv tossed around are those of former House SpeakerAndrewe Romanoff, House Majority Leader Paul Weissmannj and State Sen. Morgan Carroll. More important than union endorsements will be the financial contributionsa and volunteer hours traditionallyg contributed bythe rank-and- file the majority of whom are labor backers.