DENVER—Republican campaigners in Colorado are using recent gun control votes to attack Democrats in the state House.
Reps. Mike McLachlan of Durango, Diane Mitsch-Bush of Steamboat Springs, Tony Exum of Colorado Springs and Dave Young of Greeley were targeted by full-page ads in their hometown newspapers after voting for gun control bills that include expanded background checks and a limit on high-capacity magazines.
The ads were bought by a new nonprofit group called Colorado Citizens Protecting Our Constitution, The Durango Herald reported Thursday ( ).
The group’s organizers are seasoned Republican campaigners, including Andy Nickel, who led state House GOP campaign efforts last year. Nickel filed registration papers for Colorado Citizens Protecting Our Constitution on Feb. 13, the Herald reported.
Tim Pollard placed the ads for the group. He is chief operating officer of EIS Solutions, a Grand Junction political advocacy business that often works for the natural gas and oil industries. Josh Penry, a former Senate minority leader and Republican candidate for governor, is the most well-known employee of EIS.
Colorado Citizens Protecting Our Constitution was formed to advocate on behalf of responsible gun owners, according to Aaron Ellis, a senior organizer for the group. Ellis said the group targeted specific regions and highlighted specific lawmakers for a number of reasons.
“The reason for the selected regions was to encourage along elected officials who are undecided when it comes to gun issues, thank legislators who are in support of Coloradans’ 2nd amendment rights, and to hold accountable those who are looking to infringe on citizens’ rights,” Ellis wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “We put out these ads to help inform the public and to encourage them to do the above mentioned goals of the ads.”
The Durango Herald reported that a separate ad-hoc group, Colorado Accountability, plans to launch a recall effort against McLachlan.
Colorado Accountability spokesman Anthony Garcia said it hopes to file a recall petition with the secretary of state’s office next week.
Any recall effort faces difficulties. The group would have 60 days from the date it files a petition to obtain about 10,600 signatures from registered voters in McLachlan’s largely rural and mountainous district, the Herald said.
Garcia said the group also is mulling a recall effort against Democratic Senate President John Morse of Colorado Springs, who sponsored a proposal to crack down on assault weapons.
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Information from: Durango Herald,
