Republicans picking candidate to face Hickenlooper

Hoping to end a long electoral dry spell, Colorado Republicans are voting Tuesday for a candidate to face Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper in November.

Their pick will contend with a large fundraising advantage by Hickenlooper, and it remains to be seen whether the GOP establishment can unify behind the winner, particularly if it’s former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo – a controversial figure even among Republicans.

Republicans will decide among four candidates: Tancredo, former U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez, Secretary of State Scott Gessler, and former state Sen. Mike Kopp.

There wasn’t much polling on the primary, and turnout is expected to be low. As of Monday, nearly 312,000 Republican voters had cast ballots. There are about 1.1 million registered Republicans in Colorado.