Rep. Bob Beauprez announced today that Gov. Bill Owens has endorsed him to succeed him in office in 2006. Owens has ties to both Republican candidates for governor (Marc Holtzman served as Owens’ Secretary of Technology), but Beauprez is the “establishment” candidate for whom some of the longtime Republican party bosses have aligned themselves with, and that may have factored in Owens’ decision. Beauprez has now picked up the endorsements of many of the major Republican elected officials in Colorado, but Holtzman has been raising more money by most accounts.

It will be worth watching to see if Holtzman starts doing more to position himself as the “anti-establishment” Republican candidate rather than try to compete with Beauprez on the same front. And if Holtzman can continue to raise more money than Beauprez, as he has thus far, he’ll still be in position to topple the two-term congressman next August.