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Democrat takes early run at 6th Congressional seat
  
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By Peter Jones
How early is too early?
Republican Mike Coffman has only recently taken office as the newest representative from Colorado’s 6th Congressional District, but a Democratic challenger is already running to replace him.
David Canter, a Highlands Ranch lawyer, wasted no time in his efforts to take the seat recently vacated by Rep. Tom Tancredo. On the day after Coffman easily beat Democrat Hank Eng in November’s election, Canter filed paperwork to challenge Coffman in 2010.
“The idea was to get my name out there so people know who I am,” Canter said. “As you become more familiar with me and my stances on the issues, we can raise the money to be competitive. Getting in early is the key to doing all that.”
Assuming Canter’s early campaigning eventually creates a degree of name recognition, the politics of the district, which includes parts of Arapahoe, Douglas, Jefferson, Elbert and Park counties, has proven anything but promising for Democrats.
The 6th Congressional District, in which Republicans have maintained an almost two-to-one registration advantage, has never sent a Democrat to Congress since the district was created in 1982.
Canter rebuts the numbers by noting that the district recently voted for Democrats President-elect Barack Obama and U.S. Sen. Mark Udall and for Gov. Bill Ritter in 2006.
According to Canter, Eng, Bill Winter and other Democrats who have competed in the highly Republican District 6 have made the same fatal error of starting their campaigning too late.
In contrast, Canter’s strategy is similar to that of Udall, who announced his Senate candidacy in 2006, two years before he was elected, and then virtually disappeared from the public scene until the election season began in earnest.
By kicking off his dark-horse candidacy early, Canter hopes to put at least $1 million in the bank by the time the public starts paying attention to the mid-term elections in 2010. In May of that year, the campaign plans to start running campaign commercials, according to the candidate.
In the meantime, the Democrat says he will spend the next 18 months raising funds and rubbing elbows with party insiders to help gain necessary support.
Initial campaign mailers are already being sent to district residents. This week, Canter’s office issued its first press release criticizing Coffman’s early actions as a U.S. representative.
The release accused Coffman of favoring partisan politics over the district’s residents and cited the Congressman’s opposition to two bills to strengthen laws against wage discrimination.
“The new Congress came to Washington to work, ready to roll up its sleeves and pass two good bills within the first week,” Canter says in a news release. “Unfortunately, Mike Coffman came to Washington to obstruct the work of the people, and we already have enough of that there.”
Although such blatant campaigning may sound premature for an election that is almost two full years away, Canter insists many voters in the district are ready for his message.
“These people know the hard work and dedication that it’s going to take to win this district,” he said. “They’re lining up to offer their services. This is going to be a marathon for two years and I’m up to the task.”
Is anyone listening?
The early bird may catch the worm, but after a contentious presidential election, a prolonged Democratic primary, Congressional races and months of debates about Colorado’s crowded ballot initiatives, is anyone really interested in meeting a long-shot candidate who won’t even be on the ballot until 2010?
The outlook is anything but promising for the Democratic newcomer, according to Floyd Ciruli, a political consultant and pollster who has closely observed 6th Congressional District politics for 25 years.
“I don’t think people in the party are going to be unhappy that there’s somebody dedicating themselves to this,” he said. “But I don’t believe there’s anybody that’s going to be at all interested in it. The public has some mild interest in politics at the moment, but it’s either focused on the Senate replacement [for Ken Salazar] or the inaugural and the transition in Washington. It’s way too early.”
Ciruli says there is no evidence that even a tenacious, hard-working Democrat can make headway in a district that easily sent Tancredo, the GOP’s staunchest illegal-immigration opponent, to Congress four times.
“As a matter of fact, I would argue that it might even be less likely this time,” the pollster said. “Coffman is more moderate than the previous Republican congressman. Assuming he does what freshmen tend to do, and that’s work very hard and get himself established, he will be re-elected.”
Even considering the recent increase in Democratic registrations, especially in the now “blue” Arapahoe County, Republicans still hold an 83,000-voter advantage over Democrats in the 6th Congressional District. More than 141,000 unaffiliated voters have tended to lean Republican.
In recent state and federal elections, the GOP candidate has usually received approximately 60 percent of the district’s vote, often with little to no campaigning.
“I don’t think starting earlier was the problem,” Ciruli said of Canter’s approach. “It’s the fact that the district is still strongly Republican. Keep in mind, it took Democrats many, many years to win in the 4th District [in northeastern Colorado]. The real question in 2010 won’t be, can they pick up the 6th? The real question will be, can they hold the 4th?”
Considering the district’s registrations and political history and Coffman’s record as a moderate and prolific vote-getter as Colorado’s secretary of state, Nathan Chambers, the chairman of the Arapahoe County Republican Party, thinks Canter’s chances are nil.
“The campaigns are starting earlier and earlier now, and to beat Mike Coffman in the 6th Congressional District, he should have started 10 years ago,” Chambers said. “It’s going to be very difficult for him to get any earned media. He’s going to have to buy name recognition. He’s got an uphill climb on loose rock.”
Still, Mike Hamrick, chairman of the Arapahoe County Democratic Party, believes Canter’s early fundraising and his meetings with party activists might be the way for the party to finally make headway in the elusive 6th Congressional District.
“It’s a very difficult district to run in and that’s why this change of strategy is important,” Hamrick said. “You need to file early to do things like fund raise and get that message out and get your name out. If you look at a lot of the past candidates in the district, nobody really knew who they were.”
Meet the candidate
The first-time politician has a history in Colorado politics. Canter has worked for various campaigns and once served as legal counsel for the Douglas County Democratic Party. He was an Obama delegate at the caucus and state levels.
The Democrat cites his two decades as a civil litigator and trial lawyer when explaining how he would work out compromises in Congress. Canter notes that he has settled 97 percent of his cases outside the courtroom.
“Having been on the plaintiff side and the defense side, it gives me the ability to take a look at the issue from various perspectives and take a reasonable approach to conflict resolution,” he said. “It’s that same ability that’s going to give me strength as a United States congressman.”
The self-described moderate favors universal health care and a withdrawal from Iraq, and stands in stark contrast to Tancredo on illegal immigration.
“We need to put [illegal immigrants] on the road to becoming United States citizens,” he said. “I would consider any approach that would bring these people into the system.”
According to Canter, the political climate will be right in 2010 for a Democrat to finally represent what is considered one of the safest Republican districts in Colorado.
“The people in the 6th Congressional District need real representation,” he said. “We have a Democrat in the White House and a Democratically controlled Congress. The way the district is going to get real representation is by having someone who can work within that group — someone who’s a Democrat, and that’s me. That’s something a Republican can’t offer.”
Republican Mike Coffman has only recently taken office as the newest representative from Colorado’s 6th Congressional District, but a Democratic challenger is already running to replace him.
David Canter, a Highlands Ranch lawyer, wasted no time in his efforts to take the seat recently vacated by Rep. Tom Tancredo. On the day after Coffman easily beat Democrat Hank Eng in November’s election, Canter filed paperwork to challenge Coffman in 2010.
“The idea was to get my name out there so people know who I am,” Canter said. “As you become more familiar with me and my stances on the issues, we can raise the money to be competitive. Getting in early is the key to doing all that.”
Assuming Canter’s early campaigning eventually creates a degree of name recognition, the politics of the district, which includes parts of Arapahoe, Douglas, Jefferson, Elbert and Park counties, has proven anything but promising for Democrats.
The 6th Congressional District, in which Republicans have maintained an almost two-to-one registration advantage, has never sent a Democrat to Congress since the district was created in 1982.
Canter rebuts the numbers by noting that the district recently voted for Democrats President-elect Barack Obama and U.S. Sen. Mark Udall and for Gov. Bill Ritter in 2006.
According to Canter, Eng, Bill Winter and other Democrats who have competed in the highly Republican District 6 have made the same fatal error of starting their campaigning too late.
In contrast, Canter’s strategy is similar to that of Udall, who announced his Senate candidacy in 2006, two years before he was elected, and then virtually disappeared from the public scene until the election season began in earnest.
By kicking off his dark-horse candidacy early, Canter hopes to put at least $1 million in the bank by the time the public starts paying attention to the mid-term elections in 2010. In May of that year, the campaign plans to start running campaign commercials, according to the candidate.
In the meantime, the Democrat says he will spend the next 18 months raising funds and rubbing elbows with party insiders to help gain necessary support.
Initial campaign mailers are already being sent to district residents. This week, Canter’s office issued its first press release criticizing Coffman’s early actions as a U.S. representative.
The release accused Coffman of favoring partisan politics over the district’s residents and cited the Congressman’s opposition to two bills to strengthen laws against wage discrimination.
“The new Congress came to Washington to work, ready to roll up its sleeves and pass two good bills within the first week,” Canter says in a news release. “Unfortunately, Mike Coffman came to Washington to obstruct the work of the people, and we already have enough of that there.”
Although such blatant campaigning may sound premature for an election that is almost two full years away, Canter insists many voters in the district are ready for his message.
“These people know the hard work and dedication that it’s going to take to win this district,” he said. “They’re lining up to offer their services. This is going to be a marathon for two years and I’m up to the task.”
Is anyone listening?
The early bird may catch the worm, but after a contentious presidential election, a prolonged Democratic primary, Congressional races and months of debates about Colorado’s crowded ballot initiatives, is anyone really interested in meeting a long-shot candidate who won’t even be on the ballot until 2010?
The outlook is anything but promising for the Democratic newcomer, according to Floyd Ciruli, a political consultant and pollster who has closely observed 6th Congressional District politics for 25 years.
“I don’t think people in the party are going to be unhappy that there’s somebody dedicating themselves to this,” he said. “But I don’t believe there’s anybody that’s going to be at all interested in it. The public has some mild interest in politics at the moment, but it’s either focused on the Senate replacement [for Ken Salazar] or the inaugural and the transition in Washington. It’s way too early.”
Ciruli says there is no evidence that even a tenacious, hard-working Democrat can make headway in a district that easily sent Tancredo, the GOP’s staunchest illegal-immigration opponent, to Congress four times.
“As a matter of fact, I would argue that it might even be less likely this time,” the pollster said. “Coffman is more moderate than the previous Republican congressman. Assuming he does what freshmen tend to do, and that’s work very hard and get himself established, he will be re-elected.”
Even considering the recent increase in Democratic registrations, especially in the now “blue” Arapahoe County, Republicans still hold an 83,000-voter advantage over Democrats in the 6th Congressional District. More than 141,000 unaffiliated voters have tended to lean Republican.
In recent state and federal elections, the GOP candidate has usually received approximately 60 percent of the district’s vote, often with little to no campaigning.
“I don’t think starting earlier was the problem,” Ciruli said of Canter’s approach. “It’s the fact that the district is still strongly Republican. Keep in mind, it took Democrats many, many years to win in the 4th District [in northeastern Colorado]. The real question in 2010 won’t be, can they pick up the 6th? The real question will be, can they hold the 4th?”
Considering the district’s registrations and political history and Coffman’s record as a moderate and prolific vote-getter as Colorado’s secretary of state, Nathan Chambers, the chairman of the Arapahoe County Republican Party, thinks Canter’s chances are nil.
“The campaigns are starting earlier and earlier now, and to beat Mike Coffman in the 6th Congressional District, he should have started 10 years ago,” Chambers said. “It’s going to be very difficult for him to get any earned media. He’s going to have to buy name recognition. He’s got an uphill climb on loose rock.”
Still, Mike Hamrick, chairman of the Arapahoe County Democratic Party, believes Canter’s early fundraising and his meetings with party activists might be the way for the party to finally make headway in the elusive 6th Congressional District.
“It’s a very difficult district to run in and that’s why this change of strategy is important,” Hamrick said. “You need to file early to do things like fund raise and get that message out and get your name out. If you look at a lot of the past candidates in the district, nobody really knew who they were.”
Meet the candidate
The first-time politician has a history in Colorado politics. Canter has worked for various campaigns and once served as legal counsel for the Douglas County Democratic Party. He was an Obama delegate at the caucus and state levels.
The Democrat cites his two decades as a civil litigator and trial lawyer when explaining how he would work out compromises in Congress. Canter notes that he has settled 97 percent of his cases outside the courtroom.
“Having been on the plaintiff side and the defense side, it gives me the ability to take a look at the issue from various perspectives and take a reasonable approach to conflict resolution,” he said. “It’s that same ability that’s going to give me strength as a United States congressman.”
The self-described moderate favors universal health care and a withdrawal from Iraq, and stands in stark contrast to Tancredo on illegal immigration.
“We need to put [illegal immigrants] on the road to becoming United States citizens,” he said. “I would consider any approach that would bring these people into the system.”
According to Canter, the political climate will be right in 2010 for a Democrat to finally represent what is considered one of the safest Republican districts in Colorado.
“The people in the 6th Congressional District need real representation,” he said. “We have a Democrat in the White House and a Democratically controlled Congress. The way the district is going to get real representation is by having someone who can work within that group — someone who’s a Democrat, and that’s me. That’s something a Republican can’t offer.”
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