Sorry, Bill Owens, but Bill Owens won

Last night was a good one for Republicans, who won governor's seats in New Jersey and Virginia over opponents for whom President Barack Obama had actively campaigned. But the news wasn't as positive in a New York congressional race either for right-leaning residents of the area or a right-leaning former...

By Michael Roberts

November 4, 2009

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Last night was a good one for Republicans, who won governor's seats in New Jersey and Virginia over opponents for whom President Barack Obama had actively campaigned. But the news wasn't as positive in a New York congressional race either for right-leaning residents of the area or a right-leaning former governor of Colorado.

Thanks to a schism among conservatives in what had seemed like a safe Republican district, Democrat Bill Owens earned a victory, thereby sentencing Colorado's Bill Owens to a term's worth of confusion. Yesterday, in the run-up to the vote, the Today show ran a photo of our Owens by mistake, prompting the former guv to say this to Channel 9's Adam Schrager: "I'm not seeking any more publicity or notoriety, so for a number of reasons, I'm hoping Bill Owens loses this election."

Didn't happen -- and now, the Bill Owens name will be associated in many minds with (eeesh!) liberalism. Tough luck, Colorado Bill.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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