Political party leaders in Colorado have been eschewing primaries in recent years, hoping to keep their candidates from getting battered too much and exhausting their financial resources before the general election.
It’s unfortunate. For voters, the benefits of a primary can be immense. (Although we know it may be hard to fathom, considering the almost mind-numbingly early presidential race and the thicket of candidates elbowing one another for months in advance of next year’s front-loaded primary process.)
But consider Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, where there is a three-way race for the Democratic nomination. Voters are poised to get a much-needed airing of some critical issues, thanks to a primary.
This week, as if yanking a page from the Obama-Clinton war-of-
words playbook, Democratic contender Jared Polis criticized Joan Fitz-Gerald’s 2003 support for President Bush’s invasion of Iraq. Polis said he opposed the war from the beginning. Fitz-Gerald’s camp responded with a list of her votes on state Senate resolutions that showed she, too, supports a troop withdrawal.
Party leaders, remembering past bruising primaries, want to avoid any sniping. We think of it quite differently, and actually find it refreshing that voters might be able to explore differences in candidates rather than await a coronation.
It was actually Will Shafroth, the third contender, who sent out the first press release on Iraq last week. He called for a withdrawal and criticized Bush’s failures in Iraq without attacking his opponents.
Polis’ political volley reminded us that Republicans still haven’t fielded a challenger in the race. The seat is held by Rep. Mark Udall, who plans to run for the U.S. Senate. The Republicans have indicated that they plan to be in the race. It’s hard to imagine why they wouldn’t be, considering unaffiliated voters outnumber both Democrats and Republicans in the district.
At least voters will know where the eventual Democratic nominee stands on the issues that could tilt the race, such as Iraq, energy and the environment.
With that in mind, we also welcome a possible new candidate to the GOP race for U.S. Senate.
Delta County Commissioner Wayne Wolf plans a primary challenge against Republican Bob Schaffer, who until now is the only GOP candidate hoping to replace retiring Sen. Wayne Allard.
Not only would Wolf’s entry liven up an otherwise quiet race — it’s Udall versus Schaffer, in case you hadn’t heard — we might actually start hearing more about the issues.
Yes, we know it’s still early in the campaign, but this is supposed to be one of the hottest Senate races in the country.
Who knows? Maybe a Democrat will jump in and challenge Udall, too.
After all — we repeat — it’s an election, not a coronation.
