Early on, we figured a mayoral race between Chris Romer and Michael Hancock would be a spirited but good-natured fight between two proud sons of Denver.
Unfortunately, it has turned ugly. And now that those so-called independent 527 groups are involved — and with just one week remaining until ballots are due — we fear it will only get worse.
Denver deserves better.
We were disappointed to see Romer, whom we endorsed, go negative right out of the chute when he tried to paint Hancock as being “anti-choice.” Even though both candidates received a 100 percent rating from Planned Parenthood, Hancock checked a box on the group’s candidate form describing himself as “Pro-Family Planning” while Romer checked the “Pro-Choice” box.
Romer tried to exploit the difference to curry favor with abortion-rights activists. It failed and ended up being silly and divisive.
Romer also paid for an ad that ran for nearly two weeks that criticized Hancock’s City Council votes to raise pay for elected officials and city workers. The Denver Post evaluated the ad’s content and ruled that it leaned “deceptive.”
Now, third-party groups that are supposed to be independent of the campaigns are fiercely attacking Hancock via direct mail ads and “push polls.” The polls are designed to sound like an opinion poll, but what they really do is make one candidate look bad. One such poll begins by asking if the voter supports Romer or Hancock; however, it then continues by suggesting that Hancock doesn’t believe in “science/teaching evolution” in public schools, and supports creationism, while continuing with the thought that “Romer believes in higher standards, better science and math for our kids,” according to a Denver Post story.
The polls are designed to leave an unfavorable impression of Hancock, and they certainly do. Unfavorable and unfair.
No one has taken responsibility for a second poll that relays a series of negative statements about Hancock, including suggestions that Hancock raised his council budget by $80,000 and accepted a membership to an exclusive country club.
Separately, a mailer from a group called Citizens for Accountability says: “Michael Hancock doesn’t believe in evolution. But he wants to decide what our children learn in science class.” It’s another one The Post has decided “leans deceptive.”
Romer’s camp insists they’re not involved in the attacks. But they need to go one step further. Romer needs to stand up, repudiate the attacks and ask for them to stop.
Hancock has pledged to run a clean campaign. But the constant accusations flung at the Romer campaign about going negative can be, in a sense, negative campaigning: Hey everybody, we’re clean but look at how dirty Romer is.
Then, last week, without offering proof, the Hancock campaign said Romer and his supporters are responsible for, among other things, an automated call that inserts former congressman Tom Tancredo, whose anti-illegal immigration views don’t play well in Denver, into the race.
The candidates have similar views on city issues, so we’re not surprised the race has become about personalities and mud-slinging. But they need to be careful. Nasty attacks may work in some partisan races, but they will backfire in Denver.
