Congressional Candidate Betsy Markey (r) and Pollster Anna Bennett (l) address the DWBC

Democratic Congressional Candidate Betsy Markey, guest speaker at the November 14th DWBC luncheon, is taking on Marilyn Musgrave for the 4th Congressional District, which includes Longmont. The sixth of seven children, Markey shared the traditional values on which she was raised and relied on as she and her husband built two successful businesses (software and retail), raised three children, and committed themselves to public service.

Her career has included working as a congressional aide, traveling around the globe as a software security specialist for the US Department of Treasury, heading up the Food Share program for Larimer County, and assuming the helm of the Larimer County Democratic Party. As Senator Ken Salazar’s Regional Director for Northern and Eastern Colorado, Betsy has served business, agricultural groups, elected officials and public administrators as well as individual constituents.

Betsy was joined by Anna Bennett, a Democratic pollster with the Washington DC based company of Bennett, Petts, and Normington. Anna presented a slide show of congressional district races across the country in 2006 having the same demographics as CD4. Most of these districts were held by Republicans who lost to Democrats. The favorable, unfavorable, and neutral opinions of each candidate by their constituents were graphed.

The analysis demonstrated Musgrave’s vulnerability as higher in every category, compared to each defeated Republican. In 2006, Musgrave won with 46% of the vote, the Democrat came in at 43% and the Green Party candidate took 11%. There is no third party candidate in the 2008 election. If 2006 is any indication, the numbers are clearly with the Democratic candidate.

It was an outstanding program with many attendees inspired enough to write personal checks to the Markey for Congress campaign. For more information, go to www.markeyforcongress.com.

Board of Education Member Evie Hudak, State Rep Dianne Primavera and Betsy Markey

Please join us on November 14, when we welcome Betsy Markey, Democratic candidate in the 4th Congressional District, and Anna Bennett, a Democratic pollster who will be helping Markey win in the 4th CD.Betsy Markey is the only Democrat running for the seat currently held by Marilyn Musgrave (Angie Paccione and Eric Eidsness both recently withdrew from the race). In each of the last elections, the Democratic candidate opposing Musgrave has closed the gap a little more than in the previous election. This is the year for the Dems to take back this seat, and we hope you’ll come and show your support for Betsy Markey.

Betsy Markey brings a wealth of experience to this race. A businesswoman, Markey was co-founder of Syscom Services, Inc., an Internet consulting and website development firm. She helped lead the firm to a #99 ranking in the Inc. 500 list of America’s fasted- growing private companies. In the mid 1990’s, Betsy was also the owner of Huckleberry’s, a popular coffee and ice cream shop in Old Town Fort Collins.

Her extensive government and political experience includes serving as U.S. Senator Ken Salazar’s Regional Director for the north central and high plains regions of Colorado. Markey founded the Northern Colorado Democratic Business Coalition and later served as Chair of the Larimer County Democratic Party.

After completing a Masters of Public Administration in 1983, Betsy Markey was appointed a Presidential Management Fellow. The purpose of the two-year fellowship is to train outstanding men and women who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, excellence in the leadership and management of public policies and programs. Markey later worked for the State Department, where she received the State Department’s Meritorious Honor Award.

Anna Bennett is a principal with Bennett, Petts & Normington, a Washington D.C.-based firm that provides polling and strategic consulting to a wide variety of political and corporate clients.
Bennett has over 20 years experience in public opinion research and strategic consulting. BPN provides polling and consulting to a wide variety of political and corporate clients. Bennett has specialized in the type of red-to-blue districts that were key to the Democratic victory in 2006. Her firm helped elect 4 new members of Congress in 2006, as well as providing polling in six successful races for the DCCC Independent Expenditures project. In 1993, Campaign and Elections magazine named Anna Bennett one of 74 women changing American politics and in 1994, the same magazine named her a “rising star” in American politics.