California Hype Not Playing Well in Trinidad

Kellogg in her booth space

Representative Wes McKinley, (D) Walsh, is running for re-election to his 4th, term-limited stint. As usual, he visits local fairs and celebrations to talk to his constituents.  His Republican opponent this time is Lisa Kellogg, a California lawyer who visited Colorado as a child, and now claims an address in Walsenburg. It's hard to figure out what the heck she is doing in HD64.

At the recent TRINIDAD ROUND-UP ASSOCIATION 100TH ANNUAL LABOR DAY WEEKEND FESTIVITIES we stopped by to see if we could interview Ms. Kellogg.

"No thank you and please get out of my booth space" was her reply. "I've been to your website and it's a bit slanted." Although she had no booth, she, and her sidekick Ermal Williamson, dressed up like John Wayne, were standing in booth space number 14, so I backed out a few feet to the public fairway.

Kellogg declines interview

"Don't you want to at least talk to my viewers" I said. "You could get some free face-time."

"I'm getting plenty of face-time" she replied.

"Not according to Google Alerts. I've got an Alert on your name and nothing much ever comes up."

"I guess I'm not a popular girl" was her response. The following donation record (from the Colorado Secretary of State's office) seems to verify that.

Candidate		9/10	8/10	7/10
McKinley		$6105	$2125	$1800
Kellog		$400	$600	$0

Kellogg's latest reported donation of $400 came from her parents. An earlier newspaper report touted Kellogg's lead over McKinley in fund-raising, but that tally included her $52,100 loans to her own campaign. McKinley has loaned his campaign $700.

Ersatz Cowboy

 Ermal did a good job of blocking camera

Kellogg, who had earlier categorized McKinley as an "entertainer" and a "character", apparently has decided that she needed an entertainer of her own. Her campaign spent $1000 to hire actor Ermal Williamson to travel from his home in Branson, Missouri to Trinidad to campaign on her behalf. Despite not really looking like "the Duke", Ermal did his best to imitate John Wayne's style and walk. His comments to McKinley were really over the top, as when he confronted McKinley face-to-face, when leaving the rodeo earlier, about his "court date" for being "found guilty of sexual harassment." When I talked to Ermal, he denied making those comments, and didn't even know what House District Kellogg was running in. He also claimed that Kellogg had "25,000 horses on her ranch." Later, while we were having dinner at a local restaurant with McKinley, Ermal approached our table, with their campaign photographer in position, and extended his hand to McKinley. McKinley declined, and told Ermal to "get away from us." Ermal quickly sidled away.

Watch where you point that thing!

Kellogg's entry into HD64 politics reportedly has some local Republicans scared. Some have contacted McKinley with offers to help defeat her with funding and advertising. The citizens of HD64, who elected McKinley in 2008 with 76% of the vote, are apparently not falling for the California hype. Some think it's funny, but others are incensed, calling it degrading.


One 12-year old noticed Ermal's lack of gun-handling skills. "He doesn't seem to know what he is doing." Well put.