Colorado Springs – The battle for the open seat in the 5th Congressional District is likely to shape up this week, with several hopefuls poised to announce candidacies.
Rep. Joel Hefley, 70, who has served the six-county district for 20 years, announced Thursday he will not seek the $165,200-a-year job for an 11th term.
So far, only John Anderson, a former El Paso County sheriff, has declared his candidacy. Jeff Crank, a consultant and former vice president of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce; state Sen. Doug Lamborn; and County Commissioner Wayne Williams are expected to announce their intentions this week.
Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera has set no timetable for a decision. Democrat Jay Fawcett, an Air Force veteran, also has declared his candidacy.
“I think the major thing here is there simply is no obvious successor to Joel Hefley. The long list of candidates that people have come up with, they’re all, in my view, relatively equal,” said Bob Loevy, a political-science professor at Colorado College.
He said most of the candidates will try to make a “race for the right,” although “one candidate might try and play it down the middle, hoping that the conservative vote might split.”
One choice that Republican candidates will have to make is how they intend to get on the ballot. Candidates will need 30 percent of the delegate votes at the county assembly April 15 to get on the primary ballot, or they can petition their way onto the ballot by gathering 1,000 valid signatures from registered voters by May 25.
“By far, the safest thing to do is petition on,” Loevy said, given that “not one of these candidates stands out enough from the other.”
Anderson, a defense expert for Lockheed Martin, said a strong defense, robust economy and protecting constitutional rights for all people will be the pillars of his platform.
He said he wants to get back to the principles of Ronald Reagan and talk about what unites Republicans, not divides them.
Among moderate Republicans, he said, “there is a growing concern about isolationism. There is a growing concern about special interests who have almost tried to steal the party and leverage their way into (the) party to push their social agenda.”
Staff writer Erin Emery can be reached at 719-522-1360 or eemery@denverpost.com.
