Colorado Springs – Republican Doug Lamborn cruised to victory over newcomer Jay Fawcett in the race Tuesday to replace outgoing GOP Rep. Joel Hefley.
“I had more Republican views than my Democrat opponent, and his views were simply not the majority views around here,” Lamborn said.
Fawcett, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, was trying to make history as the first Democrat to be elected to the office since the district was formed in 1972.
Lamborn, a lawyer and veteran of Colorado politics who served 12 years in the legislature, had a much easier night than early polls predicted.
He said talk of Republican defections was “a lot of hype. Those people represented some whiners and some of the most liberal Republicans.”
After Lamborn won a six-way primary in August, the race took on an unexpected twist, with Hefley calling Lamborn’s primary campaign “sleazy and dishonest” for nasty political ads against fellow Republicans.
In El Paso County, the heart of the six-county district where Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 2-to-1, voter turnout was considered high.
“I’m really happy with the prospect of serving the people of the 5th Congressional District,” Lamborn said. “And it will be a high honor for me to do that – including our active-duty military and our veterans. I look forward to the prospect of helping our military, especially back in Washington.”
Throughout the campaign, Fawcett touted his background as an Air Force Academy graduate who won a Bronze Star in Operation Desert Storm, while Lamborn told voters he had a proven record that was in step with the conservative district.
Faced with the prospect of going to work in a Democratic-controlled Congress, Lamborn said he would turn to his recent experience in the statehouse. “I’ll do my best … to work across the aisles with people.”
Both sides – Republicans and Democrats – accused each other of dirty politics Tuesday in connection with offices being vandalized.
At Fawcett’s headquarters in the 700 block of South Tejon Street, volunteers who were part of a “get out the vote” effort were greeted by the smell of a skunk about 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Colorado Springs police Lt. Rafael Cintron said: “The smell was obvious; it smelled like something somebody sprayed out there, outside of the building. In addition to that, some of the staff advised that they had received an e-mail about 7 p.m. (Monday), in the subject line, that said, ‘Eat (expletive) and die.”‘
Cintron said police consider the incident a “suspicious circumstance,” and they are investigating. Mice were also released in Fawcett’s offices.
“This is what Joel Hefley was talking about,” Fawcett said. “Some of my volunteers, to be honest, they kind of smell now like Febreze. They’ve been Febrezing themselves all day,” Fawcett said.
Andy Merritt, the Republican chairman of the 5th Congressional District, said a stink bomb was set off in the party’s offices on North Academy Boulevard.
Staff writer Erin Emery can be reached at 719-522-1360 or eemery@denverpost.com.
