AURORA | Despite harsh words around the edges of the campaign for Aurora’s 6th Congressional seat, both candidates have started with a soft touch with their TV ads.
Democratic challenger Morgan Carroll released her first television ad Wednesday in her 2016 campaign to win the congressional seat from incumbent Republican Mike Coffman. In the ad, the former state Senate president touted her personal accomplishments in an effort to win over voters.
“I put myself through school with minimum wage jobs, and I started a business with my mom to help advocate for people with disabilities” Carroll says in the ad, titled “Why I Am Running.”
The ad will air on broadcast television and is part of a planned $1.4 million marketing campaign between now and election day, according to the Carroll for Colorado Campaign.
“We are extremely excited to kick off our first ad of this cycle,” said Carroll for Colorado campaign manager Jenny Donovan in a statement. “Morgan’s story is the story of thousands of people in this district, and that’s why they know that, when elected, she’ll fight for them in Washington to deliver real results on education, jobs, and veteran’s issues. The voters of this district recognize that they need someone in Congress who understands them, and we’re going to see the results of that this November.”
The ad, which mentions neither presidential candidate, is similarly low-key and introductory, but it stands in contrast to the one released by Coffman in August where he made national headlines as the first House Republican to use anti-Trump messaging in paid advertising.
In that video, Coffman said he would stand up to Trump if the New York billionaire were elected. Coffman also released a Spanish-language version of the ad. He’s never said that he won’t vote for Trump, however, something Democrats taunt him with regularly on social media.
Morgan Carroll has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, something the Coffman campaign and Republicans tie to her with the same fervor.
In June, the Coffman for Congress campaign launched its first video ad for television titled ‘One of Us.’ In that ad, a myriad of racially diverse voices emphasize the House Republican is “not like other Republicans.”
Nearly 6 percent of the 6th Congressional District is Asian, while a little over 20 percent is Latino and 9 percent is black. It’s the most diverse district in Colorado and regularly one of the most competitive House races in the country, evenly divided among Democrat, Republican and non-affiliated voters.
Coffman has been nationally recognized by his party for his ability to court diverse voters and keep his seat in a district that is minority-majority. He was first elected to CD6 in 2008 after the retirement of former Rep. Tom Tancredo, and he has so far been able to hold onto the district after it was redrawn in 2011 to include most of Aurora, and many more Democrats.
Working her way up to leadership positions in the both the state House and Senate, Carroll became Senate president as Democratic Majority Leader in 2013. Her career has focused on many measures protecting the rights of individual homeowners or residents at the expense of developers, homeowner associations, employers and government agencies. She said that mission has been her life’s work.
Carroll also practices law for the firm of Bachus & Schanker. She and her mother, Rebecca Bradley, owned their private practice for a decade, specializing in disability advocacy.
In her first video ad released in March where she announced her run for the seat, Carroll also touted the experiences of her family and her own experience working toward her goals without financial cushioning.
“I worked in gas stations, I worked in pizza delivery, I worked in fast food, and tried very hard to save money so that I might be able to go to college. I know what it was like to work for minimum wage,” she says in that ad.