El Paso County has enough political campaigns this year to make anyone’s head swirl, including several high-profile clashes for local legislative seats and the area’s congressional seat. One race that has been largely overlooked thus far, however, is the heated Republican primary battle over Colorado Springs state Senate District 10.In the newly-drawn district, longtime state Rep. Larry Liston is in the fight of his political life against local non-profit executive Owen Hill, who almost unseated Democratic Senate Majority Leader John Morse in 2010. SD 10 is an open seat, and Liston, who is term-limited in the House, is trying to move up a step in the Legislature. Hill, who cut his political teeth against Morse, has not yet held a public office.It looks like Liston is losing. At the El Paso County Republican assembly in March, Hill stomped the incumbent representative, taking 64 percent of the delegates to Liston’s 36 percent. With his aggressive campaign style, Hill has had Liston on the defensive for months.Liston, was first elected to the House in 2004 and is painting himself as an ally of the business community. He chairs the House Economic and Business Development Committee, and often cites bills he’s sponsored that were aimed at cutting red tape and creating jobs.“Business issues, personnel, real estate, small business, all of that comes before my committee,” Liston said. “I understand how to get things done. I understand the process. Clearly, Owen does not.”Hill also says his top issue is jobs, but argues that the state needs to drastically change tack and adapt to the evolving business world. As a longtime finance and economic manager at the non-profit Compassion International, Hill said he understands how to reach across state, national and international lines to create jobs. Liston, he said, has no clue.“Experience in doing the wrong things are not what people are looking for, and that’s what he has experience in — growing government,” Hill said.Hill said that dealing with the highly politicized atmosphere at the Capitol can be a “pain in the …,” but that it’s worth the trouble to help the state get back on track.Like so many other campaigns this year, the SD 10 campaign has been as much about political attacks as it has about issues.Hill says he’s gone after Liston on legitimate issues in attack mailers. Liston says Hill is twisting the facts to make him look bad.“He’s surrounded himself with attack dogs, from day one,” Liston said of Hill.Liston  said one of those attack dogs is Hill’s political consultant Jon Hotaling. Hotaling has a reputation for negative campaigning, Liston said, and Hill has adopted Hotaling’s methods.Hill’s campaign has sent out numerous mailers to constituents, Liston said, that have he  claims have twisted his positions on a number of issues.Hill agreed that he is using Liston’s past against him, but says he’s pointing out the truth, not distorting it. Liston has been ineffective and has voted as a moderate, not a conservative, Hill charged. And, he added, Liston’s moves have cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars.“His attitude is, we have a problem, I have a government solution,” Hill said. “If that feels negative, it’s his fault for not having a better record.”Hill said Hotaling is a “volunteer consultant,” and has no formal connection with his campaign.“I’m too focused on what we’ve got to do than to worry about some … contest between Larry and Jon, over who did what to who,” said Hill.One recent example of the conflict is a committee vote Liston cast last month to send an illegal immigration bill to the House Agriculture Committee. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan, said that effectively killed the measure. And then she endorsed Hill at the assembly.At the county assembly, just days after the vote, Liston anticipated that Hill would try to use the vote against him, and tried to justify his vote to delegates.Liston was right — Hill immediately attacked Liston over the vote, and called him a conservative in disguise. He told assembly-goers that he would never have voted that way, and said he would deliver where Liston has not.In February, Liston complained that Hill was lying in mailers that accused him of “siding with corrupt union bosses” and supporting bills to “line the pockets of political cronies.” Hill at the time said he stood behind the flyers “100 percent.”Mail ballots for the primary go out June 4, and the primary is June 26.—Contact John Schroyer: 476-4825Twitter @JohnschroyerFacebook Gazette John Schroyer

Rep. Larry Liston (Rep.) of Colorado Springs talks to a colleague before the opening day of the Colorado State Legislature was on Wednesday, January 12, 2011. (The Gazette/Jerilee Bennett) Photo by JERILEE BENNETT,THE GAZETTE

Jerilee Bennett

Owen Hill Photo by Hill campaign