DENVER – Colorado Republican U.S. Senate candidates were united on at least one front Thursday – defeating incumbent Democrat Michael Bennet.
In the first forum of the race, seven of the 13 competitors took the stage at the University of Denver.
Each spent at least some time taking jabs at Bennet, while many worked to convince the audience that they have the toughest military background.
Some even competed for who owns the most guns. Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Charlie Ehler, from Fountain, said he who owns 43 firearms.
“That’s no big deal, I know people that own thousands (of guns),” Ehler said.
Meanwhile, El Paso County Commissioner Peg Littleton said she owns five guns. She said she needs to remember to take them out of her car before she attends meetings on military bases in her county.
But what truly united the candidates was not so much their love for guns as much as it was their dislike for Bennet and the “political class.” Whoever wins the nomination will probably need to mount an aggressive campaign to earn Bennet’s recognition.
Bennet – a Democratic Party star who once served as the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee – announced last month that he has more than $6.7 million in the bank, having raised $2 million in the fourth quarter of 2015.
“Every one of the candidates that we will have on stage tonight will make a better United States senator than Michael Bennet,” said Ryan Lynch, executive director of the Colorado Republican Party, in introducing the candidates.
“Michael Bennet believes the government should be able to do everything for you,” said state Sen. Tim Neville of Littleton, the first of the candidates to speak. “I don’t put my faith in government.”
“I am going to be relentless this fall when I challenge Michael Bennet, and I will hold him accountable for his reckless and dangerous acts,” added former Rep. John Keyser of Morrison, pointing to his position as a major in the Air Force Reserve who served in Iraq on an elite special operations team and is a recipient of the Bronze Star.
El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn added of his U.S. Senate run: “Michael Bennet does not want to stand next to me. He does not want to stand next to a Christian, constitutional conservative, pro-life, Second Amendment person that is going to win this race.”
“He is as partisan as they come,” former Aurora Councilman Ryan Frazier added of Bennet. “When he tries to play up his bipartisanship, it just isn’t true. We can’t trust Michael Bennet to represent Colorado. He’s out of touch.”
“Michael Bennet will be exposed,” concluded Colorado Springs businessman Robert Blaha, who spent the least amount of time directly attacking Bennet. “If we stay on message, if we’re calm, if we’re adults, and if we have a message that resonates with the people, we will win.”
The Colorado Democratic Party responded by calling the forum a “snoozefest.”
“This is the most crowded and divisive Senate primary in the country and tonight not one of their candidates did anything to stand out or add clarity to their 13-candidate field,” said Andrew Zucker, spokesman for the Colorado Democratic Party.
“Tim Neville touted his far-right record of pushing legislation to roll back commonsense gun laws and further restrict a woman’s right to choose. Robert Blaha channeled Donald Trump by railing against the Republican establishment, and practically recited his own television ad. And Jon Keyser didn’t even try to answer a question on the deficit, the same way he’s ducked and dodged questions like a pro-politician since the start of the campaign.”
pmarcus@durangoherald.com
