DENVER | If you’ve forgotten who Cary Kennedy is or never knew, she drove her campaign for Colorado governor right into your attention Monday morning.
The former state treasurer announced her bid for the Democratic nomination for governor via Facebook Live as she drove her car around her Denver neighborhood while a campaign staffer filmed her unscripted remarks.
The stunt immediately caught the attention of the media, as well as professional and amateur political pundits on social media.
“…to be honest, I’m frustrated by what I see happening in our public schools,” Kennedy said on the live post as she paused at a stop sign and then drove on, talking about education, jobs and her love of Colorado.
Political reporters, pundits and commenters on Twitter wanted to know if she had violated distracted driving laws and questioned the safety of such a stunt. 9News reporter Brandon Rittiman questioned whether she was reading what appeared to be sticky notes attached to her dashboard.
“We had several people on the street monitoring traffic and (Cary Kennedy) was driving slowly,” her campaign told Rittiman, as he reported on Twitter.
The announcement trails those of Arapahoe County District Attorney George Brauchler, seeking the GOP nomination, and Congressman Ed Perlmutter, seeking the Democratic nomination.
Rather than raise a crowd and attention at a traditional event, she certainly seemed to garner attention on social media.
In an earlier release, Kennedy laments the loss of President Barack Obama and said a “forward-looking leader” at the helm of the state is more important than ever.
The Colorado native was raised in Evergreen and Denver and graduated from Manual High School. She, her husband and two children live in Denver. She is currently Denver deputy mayor and CFO.
Education has long been a passion of Kennedy’s. She’s credited with writing and helping pass Colorado Constitutional Amendment 23, which directs money and funding increases for public schools.
She was integral in the discussion between Denver and Aurora that led to the Denver Aerotropolis compact, releasing Denver from a ban on development around Denver International Airport.
More information is available on her campaign website at www.carykennedyforgovernor.com.