With Nov. 6 looming ahead of us and early
voting already commencing in Colorado, candidates for the U.S. House of
Representatives are working toward their final acts of campaigning in hopes of
garnering some last minute support from voters.
Brandon Shaffer, the Democratic candidate for
District 4, is running against Rep. Cory Gardner, who currently holds the seat
in the U.S. House of Representative. This Halloween, Shaffer is willing to
trade in the sweets, and instead is asking for donation amounts of $25, $50 or
$100 in order to meet his team’s October goal of $887.
Shaffer, who has been going door to door and
asking for votes recently, will be visiting doorsteps with his kids this
Halloween. He hopes to receive more donations that he needs for his campaign
before midnight tonight. His daughter, Madison, says “people should vote for Dad
because he does the dishes,” according to an Oct. 31 press release from the
campaign.
His background as a former naval officer
and role as a father has prepared him to be a dedicated and passionate public
servant. He believes in the importance of building the nation back up through
investments in early education, energy independence and job creation.
“We’ve got to get the economy going again, we
need to continue to create jobs and opportunities for people,” Shaffer told the
Boulder Weekly in October.
Republican incumbent Cory Gardner also has a
couple of tricks up his sleeve as the race approaches the end. Rep.
Gardner is heading to Northeast Colorado on Nov. 2 to ignite more support and
get out the vote. He’s been doing campaign stops moving over the more than 20
counties in the district, making stops in multiple counties in a single day in
his final push to the elections.
The Greeley
Tribune endorsed Gardner, praising his achievement in landing a
spot on the Energy and Commerce Committee his freshman year. He has been an
advocate for offshore drilling and sponsored the “Domestic Energy and Jobs Act”
to allow for increased oil and gas exploration, development and production on federal
lands, which the House passed.
While Gardner advocates for a sole
and major expansion of the oil and gas industry, Shaffer says he believes the
energy portfolio for the country needs to be balanced. Particularly in Colorado
where opportunities for wind energy are abundant, Shaffer says that the country
should continue to provide tax credits to support the continued development of
that technology.
In District 2, Rep. Jared Polis is
running for re-election to hold on to the seat he was voted into in 2008. Aside
from working hard to get Congress out of gridlock, Polis, a Democrat, also says he
recognizes that young voters are key to any election because they are the
future of America.
“In order to be heard you must vote,” Polis said in a press release. “This election is about the
future and what opportunities will be available to all Americans.”
On Oct. 29, Polis held a GottaVote event at CU Boulder. He cast
his ballot at the early vote center on CU’s campus, The University Club, in an
effort to show how easy it is for students, faculty and the university
community to vote this election.
Polis collaborated with the musician Ryan
Adams, who performed a free concert at an OFA-Colorado GottaVote concert at the Boulder Theater that same
day, to encourage students to vote
early.
Colorado State Sen. Kevin Lundberg (R-Berthoud)
is running against Polis and continues to campaign tirelessly. As he approaches the final leg of the
race, Lundberg is making a “whistle stop” tour of all 10 counties in the newly
formed 2nd Congressional District.
Lundberg and his campaign have organized an
event called Come Walk with Team Lundberg
and Come Wave with Team Lundberg from
Nov. 1 to Nov. 3. Lundberg says he hopes this last tour will be a final
opportunity for many voters to meet with him before Election Day.
Lundberg served in the Colorado senate for four
years, as well as in the House before that. He decided to run for U.S. Congress
this election out of dissatisfaction with incumbent Polis’ voting record.
Lundberg estimates about 55 percent of active
registered voters in the 2nd Congressional District are new to the district
this election and that it’s a very competitive district since redistricting
during Polis’ latest term in office. Polis agrees, saying that competitive
districts are important for democracy and are also healthier, especially when
members of both parties put forward good nominees who are willing to work
together.
