A congressional GOP primary in Colorado has captured attention from Republicans across the country, including an Illinois cyclist known to have pepper-sprayed a farm dog or two.
Stephen Bailey faces Bob Brancato in the 2nd District GOP primary Tuesday.
Bailey’s supporters sent glowing, unsolicited comments to The Denver Post about his attempt to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Polis of Boulder in November. They call themselves “The Bailey Brigade.”
“I understand that you are interested in the fact that the Congressional candidacy of Stephen Bailey in Colorado is being supported by out-of-town volunteers,” Henry Solomon of New York wrote.
“As one of those people I thought you might be interested in knowing my reasons. In essence, Stephen Bailey is a supporter of Ayn Rand’s philosophy of objectivism.”
Solomon then went on to quote the author of “Atlas Shrugged” and portions of Bailey’s campaign website.
Bailey, who took a leave from his software-marketing job to campaign, said he is grateful for the support.
But Brancato, a private investigator, is critical of how much assistance his opponent is getting from out-of-state strangers.
“Our support is from Colorado,” he said.
Brancato briefly suspended his campaign last month after a local paper reported about a domestic incident in 2009 handled by the Firestone police.
Both Brancato and his wife, Rochelle, have vehemently denied there was any domestic abuse. They said she called police because her husband was suffering from an episode of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Brancato said his PTSD stems from being sexually abused by a priest when he was a child. In 2008, he won a confidential settlement from the Archdiocese of Chicago and now volunteers for victims’ groups.
That background, he said, helps make him “the candidate Colorado Republicans are looking for.”
“I reject the notion that someone who claims a squeaky-clean life, could possibly help fix America’s social ills,” Brancato said when he revived his campaign.
The Brancatos became fired up about Bailey’s out-of-state help when they got hold of an e-mail from Bailey asking those willing to make phone calls to voters to contact Cloud Downey. It provided his e-mail address.
Rochelle Brancato did some research and sent an e-mail:
“Why does Stephen Bailey have this Cloud Downey guy in charge of disseminating voter info? He lives in Illinois and brags about pepper-spraying dogs,” she said.
Downey confirmed to The Post that he lives in Illinois, volunteers for Bailey’s campaign and once wrote a testimonial for a product that helps him strap a pepper- spray vial to his bike. He wrote that he rides on farm roads and “one dog is REALLY fast.”
Downey said he learned about Bailey’s campaign from a Facebook posting, checked out the candidate’s website and was hooked.
“He’s unique. There is no other candidate out there who so clearly defines his philosophy on government as Stephen Bailey,” he said.
Downey added he wasn’t the only out-of-stater volunteering on Bailey’s behalf. The Post later received e-mails from other Bailey supporters.
Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327 or lbartels@denverpost.com
