The two down-ballot candidates in the 4th Congressional District race see themselves as simple working men who have lost faith with American politics and government.
But the close race between Democratic incumbent Betsy Markey and Republican challenger Cory Gardner has made them critical players in a contest being watched nationally.
A few hundred votes shifting to either Doug Aden or Ken “Wasko” Waszkiewicz could mean the election for either Markey or Gardner.
“The role of candidates Aden or Waszkiewicz remains a wild-card factor and could well make the difference in a virtually dead-heat race,” said John Straayer, a political science professor at Colorado State University.
Mention that to either man and they barely shrug. Aden, 46, even admits he’s disappointed in how little an impact he’s had since he decided to run as a member of the American Constitution Party.
“I thought a lot of people would get more involved, participate more,” said Aden, who graduated with a business administration degree from Colorado State University. “It was faulty thinking on my part.”
Aden, who owns a small manufacturing business in Fort Lupton, decided to run mainly because he was frustrated by Markey’s “yes” vote on health reform. “In my business, you have to be concerned with the revenue stream and expense stream,” he said. “But not in Washington.”
Aden and Waszkiewicz, who is unaffiliated, were not invited to a planned televised debate with Markey and Gardner sponsored by the Fort Collins Coloradoan and KUSA-TV 9News because neither demonstrated 10 percent or more support in opinion polls. As a result, Markey chose not to participate.
All four will be featured at a debate Oct. 19 sponsored by Northern Colorado 5, a CBS affiliate, in Loveland.
“The two parties, with the help of the media, have successfully separated themselves from the people they serve,” said the 38-year-old Waszkiewicz, who has instead turned to the new media to get his messages out.
He posts videos on YouTube to lay out his positions on several subjects including term limits, unemployment and energy independence.
Waszkiewicz holds a degree in human nutrition from CSU. After working in computers and technical support for corporations for 10 years, he now works behind a shovel for the Fort Collins traffic department.
That’s apt, given his view on the current state of affairs.
“The Democrats and Republicans have dug us into a deep, deep hole,” he said. “They see problems as what’s wrong and right, but life isn’t all black and white. Not one party has all the answers, and I will be able to listen to everyone and come up with a solution.”
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
