The Republicans have a Senate candidate. Again.

Former Rep. Bob Schaffer, who lost to beer magnate Pete Coors in the 2004 GOP Senate primary, announced his candidacy Saturday at the Boulder County Republican Lincoln Day dinner, the Rocky Mountain News reported Monday.

“After considerable assessment, I’ve decided I’m going to begin putting a campaign together to run for the United States Senate,” Schaffer told the gathering.

Earlier this year, former Rep. Scott McInnis (R) announced he intended to run for Senate, only to drop out of the race weeks after launching his exploratory committee.

Schaffer sent mixed signals since the beginning of the year regarding his intentions for the 2008 Senate race and denied as recently as last month that he had decided to run for Senate. That denial followed a story in a Colorado newspaper that quoted Centennial State GOP activists saying Schaffer told them he was going to run.

If Schaffer stays in the race and secures the GOP nomination, he likely will face Rep. Mark Udall (D) in the general election race to replace retiring Sen. Wayne Allard (R).
— David M. Drucker