Editorial: The Campaign Thus Far

The Colorado 2016 Senate has played out more like a soap opera than a campaign.  Betrayal, lies, breaking the law, and misinformation are ubiquitous.  Much of this stems from the illegal coordination between the Coffman campaign and GPS Crossroads.  The firing of staff members by both GPS Crossroads and the Coffman campaign is a testament to how severe the issue was.  Three members of GPS Crossroads staff were fired and the campaign manager of the Coffman campaign was also terminated as a result of the meeting which violated rules set by the Federal Election Commission.  Mike Coffman tried to make it seem like breaking the law was not a big deal and that his campaign would not suffer heavily from the incident, but polls showed that it did.  Immediately after the meeting, Michael Bennet soared in the polls, taking a seven percent lead over Coffman.  Another campaign blunder was from the Michael Bennet campaign twitter feed.  Apparently, an intern who was working at a rapid pace to get information out listed Michael Bennet as the former Mayor of Denver.  Bennet later clarified that the intern meant to say that he was the former Chief of Staff for then-Mayor John Hickenlooper.  But the damage had been done.  Whether it was unintentional or purposeful, the misinformation has led to a bit of wariness when it comes to what Bennet has to say about himself.

A surprising development was the involvement of another special interest group relatively late in the campaign.  Coloradoan Gun Owners getting embroiled in the race is a huge issue, knowing how much Gun Rights mean to those in western states.  The fact that Michael Bennet received a C+ rating from the National Rifle Association and Mike Coffman was awarded an A+ means that Coffman has a bit more firepower on his side to fight the Bennet campaign.

One of the two most important issues in the campaign is pretty shocking and different than many would have predicted at the start of the race.  Other than women’s rights, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual//Transgender rights have been the most highly contested issue among the two campaigns.  The hefty focus on the topic began with an ad from a special interest group.  The ad by Focus on the Family was a surefire attempt to align Coffman with those who do not support same sex marriage, and say that Michael Bennet was too liberal and supported the, “radical homosexual... agenda.”  The Human Rights Campaign issued a memo stating their disappointment that Mike Coffman had not come out and denounced Focus on the Family for their portrayal of homosexual beliefs and behavior.  In a witty twist, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) used clips from the video in an ad to affirm that yes, Michael Bennet does support gays and their rights.  The SEIU ad pretty much wrote itself thanks to the Focus on the Family one.  In an effort to assure Coloradans of his support of equality, Mike Coffman has come out in support of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA.  He then received support from the largest Gay Rights Conservative group, the Log Cabin Republicans.  It seems like a war is happening on twitter and in advertisements between the two camps.  Most Coloradans support gay marriage, and it has become clear that both sides want to align themselves with an issue so popular to their constituencies.  The fact that a social issue like LGBT rights has garnered so much attention is a very positive thing for both Colorado and the nation.