Former CO Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell Endorses Bennet. Anschutz Pulls Support From Coffman Campaign.

Article By Karli Kusler

Senator Michael Bennet held a press conference today in Grand Junction, Colorado, to promote his ideals and platform for the 2016 Colorado Congressional Campaign.  With only two days until the booths open for voting, both candidates are pulling out all the stops in the final days of campaigning.

Bennet touched on some of his main concerns for the state of Colorado, and voiced how he thinks some of the most pressing issues should be solved. These things would be expected from a candidate in the last days of a campaign, however there was one public statement that could quite potentially give Senator Bennet the push he needs to win the election.

Former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell joined Senator Bennet on stage at the press conference to publicly endorse Bennet in the race. This turn of events was majorly due to the slanderous acts of GPS Crossroads and the failure of Congressmen Mike Coffman to denounce the Super PAC.  His statement is as follows,

“In all my years of public service, I have never seen such reckless and reprehensible actions such as those performed by GPS Crossroads. Senator Michael Bennet and I don’t always get along but he is a good upstanding citizen and I feel it necessary to endorse him in the 2016 Congressional Campaign. I am shocked at Congressmen Coffman for not publicly denouncing the GPS Crossroads after their continuous show of inexcusable acts during the race.”

Campbell is not only a former Senator of Colorado, but also a former Representative, and served in the U.S. Air force in Korea as well. Interestingly, Campbell served in the political field as a Democrat for 12 years, and then switched parties to become a Republican in 1995. Ben Nighthorse Campbell has been an outstanding citizen in the Colorado community for over 60 years, politically and otherwise, and by publicly endorsing Sen. Bennet, this could mean a big change in the polls.

Campbell’s decision could not only sway the republican voters who are already on the fence about supporting Congressman Coffman, but could also rally the democrats who wouldn’t have voted before the conference.

Not only was Campbell’s news a big success for Senator Bennet’s Campaign, but word got out that Phil Anschutz, who has been personally supporting Congressman Coffman since the beginning of the race, has pulled his funding for Coffman entirely. It seems the continuous actions of GPS Crossroads has sincerely altered the attitude of the voters and supporters of the race.

It is clear the Coffman Campaign has some serious damage control to do in the next 24 hours, considering they lost support from a staunch financial supporter, and a former Senator with a glowing reputation publicly endorsed the Bennet Campaign.

Presidential candidates to visit Colorado

Article by Hannah Downey

Both presidential candidates are set to be stopping in Colorado this Friday, the morning of the election.  Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, is scheduled to be appearing in Denver, while Scott Walker, the Republican candidate, will be spending his time in Colorado Springs.  Both will be holding press conferences on the tarmacs before taking off to other election day activities.

The stop is Colorado is thought to be the final push by either candidate to draw out voters in the close race throughout the country.  Current opinion polls show that the national vote puts Walker ahead of Clinton 52% to 48%, while polls reveal that Colorado voters favor Clinton above Walker 52% to 48%.  For Clinton to win the Presidency it is essential that she wins Colorado.

Both campaigns have made themselves present in Colorado.  Commercials for both Clinton and Walker have saturated the airwaves, buying more ads in Colorado than in any other state.  While neither has been directly involved in the current Colorado race for Senate, Clinton has endorsed Bennet and Walker has endorsed Coffman. 

Get out the vote Colorado heats up this week

Immediately following the debates at the beginning of the week, special interests wasted no time in kicking off their get out the vote efforts.

SEIU passed out hundreds of flyers quoting Congressman Mike Coffman calling social security “a Ponzi scheme” in line with Rick Perry’s original statement about the entitlement program. As voting day approaches at the end of the week, SEIU prefers a personal touch to follow up their anti-Coffman message; they have mobilized hundreds of volunteers to go door to door to influence the vote.

GPS crossroads continues to try and regain legitimacy after firing several staffers for alleged illegal activities involving a breach of campaign law, but recent scandal has not stopped them from joining other special interests in handing out flyers to sway voter’s decisions on Friday.

As for the candidates, the Coffman camp is appealing to the thousands of Colorado veterans hoping to influence the race outcome. Colorado is home to thousands of active duty, Guard, Reserve and retired military members. By appealing to the military demographic Coffman may eke out just enough support to pull ahead of Bennet, but will the military vote be enough? We won’t know for sure until Friday.

The Bennet campaign seems to be using targeted emails to reach potential voters. This more modern approach than sending out mailers, or going door to door may or may not work. One advantage is that email is a lot less expensive and a lot faster than traditional campaigning methods. Perhaps the Bennet camp is saving its last bit of war reserves for something special.

Rumors of Senator Bennet's Illegitimate Child False

The recent press release from the GPS Crossroads special interest group reads like an issue of Weekly World News. An illegitimate child being forced to be adopted by the Bennet family to save his political career and keep his mistress quiet? The claims are ludicrous.

The tale of a mother having very infrequently, if ever, seen her daughter pulls at the heart strings.  Long lost kinship and families being reunited are components of great stories and are sure to put a tear in your eye.  But this story does not fulfill this lugubrious to joyous narrative.

After some due diligence this reporter made a few discoveries about the woman in question.  She is classified as bipolar and has spent time in State institutions for this condition.  It is true that the woman was a staffer for Michael Bennet.  It is also quite true that she believes that she fathered a child from Senator Bennet.  However, that is where her truth ends.  This reporter has obtained copies of letters sent by this woman to the Bennet family asking for money.  Not just one or two, but many letters threatening the family and attempting to extort them for money.  The severe condition she suffers from drives her to do this.

When the woman approached GPS Crossroads asking for help in getting the story out, it is understandable that the group would want to help.  However, it is the responsibility of GPS Crossroads to find out all the facts about what they are going to come out with publicly.  Had the group contacted the State, it would have found that the woman had been in State institutions for her mental illness.

Current and former staffers of Michael Bennet have gone on the record stating that Bennet has solid morals and is a good man.  A former employer and Conservative friend of Michael Bennet, Phillip Anschultz, was asked about his views on the situation.  He responded, "I may disagree with the man, but he is upstanding and has good moral character."

To put all false claims to rest, a few days ago the Bennet family agreed to a DNA test. The results came back, and were shocking.  The child in question was beyond a doubt the offspring of Michael Bennet and his wife, Susan.  This is utter and undeniable proof of the insanity of this story.  GPS Crossroads ought to have taken more time and placed a heavy burden on guaranteeing the veracity of this story.

Senator Bennet and his wife prepared a statement about the ordeal GPS Crossroads has put them through:  "It is upsetting to my wife, my family, and myself that GPS Crossroads have [sic] chosen to publish a story with malicious, false allegations.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to my former co-worker, however it must be clear that this story is completely and utterly false.  Since the beginning of the campaign, GPS has proven that [sic] are willing to go to unethical and illegal lengths in an attempt to derail my campaign and disrupt my personal life.  In addition to GPS, I am disappointed [sic] the Coffman Campaign for not upholding its values of honesty and integrity.  Nor did they choose to condemn a false story as soon as it broke.  It is important to remember that when you accept money from interest groups, you are aligning yourself with them.  Not only is Coffman willing to participate in illegal camapign coordination but they are willing to abandon their own values in an attempt to derail my election."

Congressman Coffman, the candidate supported by GPS Crossroads, immediately came out opposing the action of GPS Crossroads.  When the story broke via Twitter, Coffman's first response was to distance himself from the controversy, asking GPS to keep rumored personal issues out of the campaign.  In a later public statement distancing himself from the interest group, he commented, "My campaign does not condone the tactics used by GPS Crossroads. We hope that the rest of this race can move forward without personal attacks on Michael and his family. I would also call on outside groups to stop this behavior."

Senator Bennet has handled the ordeal with grace, standing by his family and his morals. He stated, "It saddens me that GPS Crossroads would stoop to such a level as to attack not only me, but also my loving wife and beautiful family." The Bennet campaign has continued, not letting the false rumors stop them in reaching out to the Colorado voters.

A Final Interview with Senator Michael Bennet

Article By Karli Kusler

With the final days of the election drawing near, candidates and voters alike are anxious for the outcome, especially after the successful debate between Congressman Mike Coffman and Senator Michael Bennet held on Monday. The candidates are rallying their teams in their final GOTV efforts and making sure their messages are clear to the voters. I sat down with Senator Michael Bennet to talk with him about what is most important to him and his tactics to tackle certain issues if re-elected into office.

Kusler: Senator Bennet, in your opinion, what is the most pressing issue Colorado is facing and how do you propose to address it?

Bennet: I believe the most important issue in Colorado is education. The state, who typically is a major provider, has been in a significant budget crisis the last several years and that has hurt schools and teachers, and therefore affecting students. I believe that innovation in how we structure our educational system is crucial. It is a wildly outdated system, and it restricts many teachers and schools to be able to provide personal support for each student. Education is extremely important since it directly affects our economy. If you were to look at the fast growing economies in the world, many of them rank at the top in terms of education. Since Congressman Coffman’s biggest concern is the economy, perhaps rather than looking at short-term, superficial solutions; we should all focus on building the groundwork for a better economy in the future, and making long term changes.

Kusler: With the ruling on the constitutionality of the Colorado gun restrictions currently being decided, do you believe the gun restrictions on magazine capacity are constitutional?

Bennet: The limitations on magazine capacity are constitutional. Congressman Coffman never directly refuted this fact, he simply attempted to paint me as trying to take guns away, which is simply not true. I believe in private gun ownership and I believe in the 2nd Amendment, but even Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the most conservative justices ever to sit on the Supreme Court, agrees that there are some limitations on the 2nd Amendment. The fact of the matter is that there really is no reason to need and excessive amount of ammunition at once.

Kusler: The national debt is always a pressing issue, how do you propose to work towards fixing/saving the national 17 trillion dollar deficit?

Bennet: I think the first step to getting back to where we need to be, is to look at the problem realistically. $17 trillion is a huge amount of debt, and Americans are justifiably outraged at this problem. We need to understand that Rome was not built in a day. We need to temporarily raise the debt ceiling (which Congressman Coffman voted in favor of) to keep from defaulting and ruining any chance of getting back on track. More than anything, we need to quit playing “chicken” with party politics. I lead a 64 member bipartisan group of senators insisting that the President include deficit reduction tactics specifically discretionary spending cuts, entitlement and tax reform to be included in budget negotiations.

Kusler: What will be the first thing you will do if re-elected to office?

Bennet: If I’m re-elected, I will continue to represent the interests of Coloradans. In our most recent polling, the economy came in as the greatest concern of Coloradans, followed closely by education. I will make the economy my biggest concern. Since it is a multi-faceted issue, I will not simply limit my efforts to bills pertaining to the debt ceiling or the budget etc. but rather make a concerted effort to get bills that will directly affect Colorado’s economy to be the Senate’s main focus. This may mean shifting the conversation to energy and how that will create jobs in Colorado, or incentives for small business, or revamping education.

Kusler: Your closing statement in the debate raised some serious allegations towards Congressman Coffman, one claiming he doesn’t believe women can get pregnant if it is “legitimate rape.” Can you please elaborate on your reasoning behind your statement and explain your opposing ideals?

Bennet: Congressman Coffman co-sponsored a bill written by Republican Representative Todd Akin from Missouri that would “redefine” rape. The Congressman believes in faulty science that women are not able to get pregnant if the rape is “legitimate”. The “science” that the Congressman relied upon when he co-sponsored this bill is a unclear, but states that women’s bodies have a built-in self-defense mechanism that makes the body shut down any pregnancy if it is the result of “legitimate rape”. Let me be clear, there is no such thing as legitimate rape; rape is rape, period.

Kusler: Now that we’re in the final days of the election, there is a lot to be said and done. In no more than three sentences, what do you want to say to the voters of Colorado?

Bennet: I am the best fit for Coloradans. I don’t represent a very polarized group as the Congressman does, but rather I am very centrist and rational which is how Colorado votes. I battle for bipartisan solution, and, most importantly, I battle for the great State of Colorado and her people.

Without a doubt this will be a close race, and with that, make sure to vote this Friday to cast your ballot.

An Interview with Mike Coffman

Article by Hannah Downey

With voting booths opening in just four short days, the candidates to represent Colorado in the United States Senate have had quite the ride.  Culminating in a heated debate on Monday, both Congressman Mike Coffman and Senator Michael Bennet are trying for a final push to get their messages out to voters.  Following the debate, I sat down with Congressman Coffman and discussed the issues important to him, Colorado, and the United States.

Downey: Congressman Coffman, in your opinion, what is the most pressing issue facing Colorado?  How do you propose to address it?

Coffman: Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. While our economy is slowly getting out of this recession, our job numbers are not where they were before the recession began in 2007. Our population has risen by 9.2% since the recession began. Had our jobs growth stayed consistent with the population growth we would be employing 2,567,200 Coloradans instead of only employing 2,379,700 (as of December 2013). I have addressed in this multiple ways: (1) supporting ENDA so all Coloradans are free to work; (2), H.R. 1412, the Improving Job Opportunities for Veterans Act, which would put our veterans to work when they come home; and (3) Lending For Jobs Act of 2012 which would allow Coloradans to obtain loans to start small businesses. 

Downey: With the ruling on the constitutionality of the Colorado gun restrictions currently being decided, do you think the gun restrictions on magazine capacity and background checks are Constitutional?

Coffman: I think there are two issues at hand here: (1) gun rights and (2) mental health. Safe and legal gun possession should not be removed because of the actions of mentally unfit people. I think we need to be more focused on keeping guns out of the hands of people who are not mentally cognizant enough to safely keep guns. Not trample the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens.

Downey: With the United States currently over $17 trillion dollars in debt, how do you propose to address the deficit?

Coffman: I wish we had more bold actions to bring our deficit down, but I think the Ryan Plan is a good start. The Ryan Plan removes our deficit spending within ten years. To my opponents who say these cuts are too severe I would has how do you realistically deal with a 17 trillion dollar debt crisis?

Downey: If elected, what is the first thing you would do in office?

Coffman: I would keep doing what I've been doing: supporting veterans, working to make a better economy for Colorado business people, and work to create a economy that is producing jobs for graduating college students.

Downey: In the debate’s closing remarks, he made a comment insinuating that you believe there is such a thing as “legitimate rape,” a comment which you had no formal opportunity in the debate to respond to.  What is your response to Bennet's statement?

Coffman: This is a complete and utter fabrication that is below the dignity of a Colorado Senator. This bill, HR 3 2011, does not support legitimate rape and neither do I. This is the kind of Washington word craft that is turning everyday Coloradans off of voting and participating in politics. This response was irresponsible and not an honest comment Coloradans should expect from elected officials. 

Downey: In no more than three sentences, what do you want to say to Colorado citizens going to the polls?

Coffman: If you want more jobs, better jobs, and a tried and true fighter for the blue collar community, I'm your guy. I want to force this government to get off your back and allow you to get back to work taking care of your family.

The polls open on Friday morning, so make sure to register to vote and cast your ballot. 

Two political powerhouses bare fisted brawl showed the race tightening as Election Day rapidly approaches.

After the debate Monday. Many voters seemed to walk away energized and polarized. A snap poll conducted immediately following the two political powerhouses bare fisted brawl showed the race tightening as Election Day rapidly approaches.

Bennet held off Coffman with a 49% lead, but Coffman is right on his heels with only a three point difference between the two. Coffman trailing at 47% is well within the 4 point polling margin of error.

Voters seem split down party lines in Colorado as the presidential race seems to be a reflection of things to come. This race is just too close to call between the Colorado candidates. Even more nail biting, secretary Clinton holds a narrow lead over Governor Scott Walker at the national level, meaning Colorado will once again be a battleground state as the presidential candidates duke it out. Being a battleground state makes the election between Coffman and Bennet all the more interesting and important for the parties in Washington.

As for the debate between Coffman and Bennet, attendees reported that Healthcare (45%) and natural disasters (34%) were the major topics of concern for the Colorado race; with 44% male and 55% female respondents. 87% of whom are in the 18-24 age range and 11% in the 25-34 range. Clearly young voters are leading the charge to the polls with concerns about their future in Colorado.

Of those polled 21% say they are democrat, 53% republican, and 3% libertarian.