When Scott McInnis announced his plans to run as a Republican for governor here in his hometown of Glenwood Springs, he got a hero’s welcome. He looked unstoppable, beaming beside his wife Lori as he called out names of old friends who had turned out to see him in a warehouse decked with campaign signs on the edge of town. 
He sported cowboy boots and jeans, and he glowed as country singer Michael Martin Murphy managed to turn “Home on the Range” into a political anthem. As he dissed Democrats and made a plea for “jobs, jobs, jobs,” McInnis seemed to be the right man with the right message.
“Get ready to say ‘Governor McInnis,'” I told friends after his appearance.
How wrong I was, and how much has changed since that October afternoon.
