Gov. Bill Ritter said Wednesday that concern over Democratic lawmakers' re-election chances was partly to blame for legislative failure to approve proposals to fix Colorado roads and bridges [1], according to a report by Tim Hoover.

Ritter's comments came at a news conference to talk about the 2008 legislative session. "I feel like this conversation broke down around politics, that we tried to get the Republicans interested in looking at how we would put together different pots of money," Ritter said. "We began our conversation very early in the session and could not get the Republican leadership to act on it at all."

Republican lawmakers were surprised by the comments.

"They outnumber us by 15 people in the House," said Rep. Cory Gardner, a Yuma Republican. "They have nearly enough to pass a constitutional amendment in their own caucus, and to try to say they can't pass their agenda because they lack Republican votes. That shows a complete lack of leadership and a vacuum within their own party."