Just two weeks shy of a state assembly showdown with his Republican rival, gubernatorial candidate Marc Holtzman is looking for a new campaign manager.
Dick Leggitt resigned from the job Friday, a week after admitting in court that he lied to a Denver Post reporter about poll numbers.
“In the past two weeks it has become very apparent that I have allowed myself to become a distraction to your campaign for governor,” Leg gitt wrote in a letter released by the campaign.
What the upheaval will mean for Holtzman’s campaign is unclear. On May 20, Holtzman and Beauprez will be competing for delegate support at the state assembly.
“To keep Leggitt on was clearly a liability,” said John Straayer, a political science professor at Colorado State University. “But to be without a campaign manager is clearly a liability.”
Apart from a statement accepting Leggitt’s resignation, Holtzman did not comment on the shuffle in his staff. Newly minted campaign spokesman Jesse Mallory said Holtzman was not taking calls.
Mallory said the campaign plans to find a new manager soon.
Whoever that is, they will have to recover from two weeks of bad news. In late April, Holtzman was in court defending himself against claims that he broke election laws. Financial filings last week showed he raised less money in April than Beauprez or Democratic candidate Bill Ritter.
Now he is without a manager.
Straayer said the troubles have hurt Holtzman’s self-made, reformer image.
“It is one of these things of the pot calling the kettle black,” he said. “Their campaign style has been attack, attack, attack – everybody else is doing something wrong. … All of the sudden you get the key architects of that line having to admit he is just making stuff up.”
“No one has worked harder or longer hours to convey my message to the voters of Colorado,” Holtzman wrote of Leggitt.
Leggitt admitted in court April 28 that he fabricated poll numbers showing Holtzman’s name recognition going from “10 percent to 70 percent” during a campaign against Referendum C.
His quote was published in a Nov. 7 story about the election and its impact. Leggitt said he made up the numbers for an e-mail because he suspected the reporter was forwarding his correspondence to the Beauprez campaign.
“We didn’t have any polling results,” Leggitt said during the administrative court hearing. “It’s what we in the election business call ‘spin.”‘
Soon after the admission, Beauprez’s spokesman called for Leggitt’s resignation, saying his lies violated election law.
Holtzman told the Associated Press that Leggitt’s actions raised “serious concerns.”
Leggitt did not return calls Friday, but on Thursday he told Post columnist Jim Spencer that his fabrication “probably wasn’t the smartest thing I ever did. … I think my credibility has taken a whack.”
Leggitt used his resignation to take one more shot at Holtzman’s opponent.
“While I take some satisfaction from the fact that career politicians like Bob Beauprez don’t shoot at you unless you are making a difference,” he wrote, “I do believe that my continued presence on the campaign will only serve to distract the media and voters from your very clear and positive message.”
Beauprez spokesman John Marshall said Friday that Leggitt’s resignation “speaks volumes and speaks for itself.”
Still, Holtzman’s campaign is hopeful it can rebound quickly.
His rival, Beauprez, switched campaign managers in April over disagreements among the staff.
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 303-820-1657 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
