The gloves didn’t exactly come off Monday in the anticipated mega-battle between state Sen. Morgan Carroll and U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman for Aurora’s 6th Congressional District, but the race’s first video ad spilled onto the Internet.
Carroll, who unsurprisingly clinched the Democratic nomination unanimously this weekend at a statewide party confab, doesn’t jab at incumbent Congressman Coffman but rather pokes gently at the need for someone in Congress offering “real” representation.
It’s essentially a “how d’ do” video, letting people know Carroll —formerly state Senate president, then minority leader, and longtime Aurora activist and labor lawyer — is well connected and imposing on Coffman a serious battle to keep his seat. Takeaway newspaper headlines keep marveling over how Morgan is a “top tier” candidate.
Two years ago, top-tier candidate former Democratic state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff struck out big taking the then three-term Republican incumbent on. Since then, Carroll has been systematically building a case and battle plan against Coffman.
She’s succeeded in getting the backing of top-level national Democrats, earmarking the race for cash.
In a time and place where political civility has evaporated on the national and even state level, this race has so far been almost spookily tame and polite.
Coffman has launched a couple of verbal eye-rolls Carroll’s way about where she stands on closing Guantanamo Bay and bringing inmates to Colorado prisons. Carroll has fired campaign spit wads at Coffman trying to tie him to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.
Coffman’s campaign missives have been almost solely about House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi personally wanting him out and choosing Carroll to do her political dirty work. Carroll has focused mostly on a do-nothing C0ngress that she says she can change.
Anything resembling serious political differences and mud is being handled by proxies so far. There, local operatives have been pounding Coffman for his allegiance to GOP policies on abortion, equal-pay legislation and ties to conservative-extremist candidates and causes. Coffman allies have fired away to bind Carroll to Pelosi, President Obama, Hillary Clinton, big government, deficit spending and a smattering of hot-button conservative causes.
So meet Carroll on her video here. Her website is here.
Camp Coffman’s website is here. All you can see so far is a nice picture of Mike, a form to sign up for email missives and a link to give money. No specific video yet. Officials in his campaign weren’t available right away to say what’s next or if voters can expect a premier video roll soon as well.
Given the huge stakes for him as well as the Democrats and the Republicans, it can’t be long before all this politesse gives way to some the familiar partisan punches.
Follow the 6th Congressional District race on Twitter with @AuroraPols. Follow @EditorDavePerry on Twitter and Facebook.