For 35 years the 1st Congressional District has been a bastion for Democrats.
But that isn’t stopping two Republicans — George Lilly and Charles R. Crain — from competing in the Aug. 12 primary for the right to challenge incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette this fall.
Lilly said he is running on a number of issues, but the economy is the most important. He said that if he’s elected, he wants to work to restore the gold standard.
He said the low approval ratings for Congress suggest that people aren’t happy with the Democratic leadership.
“I had people come up to me and say, ‘Hey, my neighbor is a Democrat, and they want to vote for you,’ ” he said.
Crain, whose residency was listed at St. Francis Center, a shelter for the homeless, could not be reached.
The odds are against the two Republicans, political scientists say. Democrats make up most of the district, which includes Denver, Glendale and Cherry Hills Village.
Lilly is no stranger to running for Congress. He challenged DeGette in 2004 as an unaffiliated candidate and received 2.1 percent of the votes, but there are a few things he’d like to do differently this year, he said.
“I think what I’d like to do is have a huge number of volunteers and lots of money,” he said, laughing. “That’s what I’d like to change.”
He has also picked up a major endorsement: Rep. Ron Paul, who ran for president this year.
But that doesn’t change the dynamics. Bob Loevy, a political science professor at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, said Republicans have a “0 percent” chance of unseating DeGette, who has served the district since 1997.
He said that even if it looked like it were going to be a Republican year, the Democrats would prevail.
DeGette said her priority is to make sure the Democratic National Convention goes smoothly. But once that is over, she will campaign aggressively.
“I never take any election for granted,” she said. “I think it’s important to make my case to the voters every two years why they should rehire me. . . . It’s up to the citizens to decide whether I’m doing a good job.”
Christopher Sanchez: 303-954-1698 or csanchez@denverpost.com
