The Democrats botched the roll out of their national party-anointed Congressional candidates badly. The Denver Post's publishing of comments by Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) about his recruitment efforts in Colorado caught the entire party apparatus off guard.

This is not how Rick Palacio, the new CO Democrat Party Chair who used to work for the Congressional leader leaker, wanted to start his tenure atop the State Party. Nor how Brandon Shaffer, Sal Pace and Perry "Massage Therapist Millonaire" Haney wanted their campaigns begun either.  While Shaffer and Haney have refused comment so far, Sal Pace begrudgingly admitted to a campaign on Friday.

The press have noticed the deer in headlights reaction to the leak.

From Eli Stokols at Fox 31 in an article entitled "Did Hoyer spill Shaffer, Pace's beans?"

DENVER — Senate President Brandon Shaffer did not return phone calls Friday or make any public comment following Thursday's Denver Post story in which House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer admitted that Shaffer, as well as Colorado House Minority Leader Sal Pace, are committed to running for Congress next year.

Ernest Luning of the Colorado Statesmen, of our 7 Twitter Accounts Worth Following, notes on Twitter that the "cat is out the bag" on the DCCC-approved slate as well.   

Stokols also points out how badly the timing was for Hoyer to let it slip, but especially for Senate President Brandon Shaffer.

Hoyer's comments, meant to convey that he didn't have much convincing to do in Colorado as far as getting potential candidates to run, failed to account for the local political context, coming just a week after the end of a legislative session marked by a simmering feud between Shaffer and House Speaker Frank McNulty.  

McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, who ripped Shaffer for proposing congressional districts that would make it easier for him to run in the Fourth C.D., said at session's end that Shaffer's possible announcement of a run for Congress would be "an exclamation mark" that punctuates and validates his criticisms.

Last week we pointed out that the "Brandon-Mander" had come to home to roost. Looks like it just laid its first egg.