Colorado GOP Senate candidate Darryl Glenn to conduct unity tour Saturday
Darryl Glenn will be on a unity tour on Saturday with Colorado Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, as Glenn works to ramp up his campaign.
Glenn, an El Paso County commissioner, won the GOP nomination last month, but now goes into the race against Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet trailing in the polls and in fundraising.
“There’s no doubt that we’re the underdog,” said Katey Price, Glenn’s new campaign spokeswoman.. “Cory Gardner won this state with money from Colorado … We intend to raise money in Colorado.”
Price said the money is there.
Prior to the primary Glenn had raised $156,711, not including $48,300 that Glenn reported receiving to the Federal Election Committee in the 48 hours prior to the election. He likely spend all of that on the primary.
In contrast Bennet didn’t have a primary opponent and is going into the general election with at least $6 million cash.
By comparison, Gardner spent $12.5 million in 2014 when he unseated Colorado Democratic Sen. Mark Udall. Udall spent $18.6 million in the two years prior to the election.
Both candidates had support from outside groups that spent millions of dollars in the race.
It’s rumored two major GOP players are going to sit Colorado out, at least for now.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a political action committee with ties to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, announced it would spend $41.5 million on TV ads in six states where Republicans are trying to keep or pick up seats. The list did not include Colorado.
And the National Republican Senatorial Committee hasn’t updated its website to reflect the fact that Glenn is now the Republican challenging Bennet.
“Darryl Glenn’s main priority is to win the hearts and minds of Colorado voters, not necessarily to match Sen. Michael Bennet in D.C. establishment fundraising,” said Colorado GOP Chairman Steve House. “Glenn won on humble grassroots campaigning, and he will take that same successful approach the general. Given recent polling showing Glenn in similar standing to where Gardner was at this point in 2014, the Glenn campaign will be in great position to garner more support as he continues to capture grassroots momentum.”
That start is trailing Bennet by 5 points, according to a poll by the Senate Conservatives Fund of 500 likely voters.
Glenn did win the backing of the Senate Conservatives Fund in his primary race, and the often described “tea-party” group led by Ken Cuccinelli. The group dumped $317,000 into Colorado ads for Glenn in the week leading up to the primary.
Democrats are working hard to paint Glenn as “too extreme for Colorado.”
“Despite the many offensive and obscene things Donald Trump has said over recent weeks and months, Darryl Glenn has proudly stood by him, calling Trump a ‘patriot.’ Trump and Glenn are too extreme for Colorado,” said Chris Meagher, spokesman for the Colorado Democratic Party.
The party released an online video ad this week that features clips of Glenn talking about his support of Trump, interspersed with some of Trump’s most controversial statements.
It’s just the first of many ads that will likely target Glenn’s support of Trump.
Price said the campaign will focus on introducing Glenn to voters.
“We’ll let Darryl’s message speak for itself. He’s who he has been throughout the campaign,” Price said.
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Contact Megan Schrader at 286-0644
Twitter: @CapitolSchrader





