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Key point divides 7th Dist. Dems

All three claim to have best chance to win in November

Stuart Steers, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 26, 2006 at midnight

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The three Democratic candidates in the 7th Congressional District race - one of the hottest in the country - agreed Tuesday that the most important issue for Democrats is who would be the strongest candidate to run against Republican Rick O'Donnell in the general election.

Ed Perlmutter, Peggy Lamm and Herb Rubenstein then parted company during their debate on KBDI- Channel 12 as to who among them had the best chance to get the job done in November.

Democrats will decide Aug. 8 whom they want to take on O'Donnell, who faces no primary opponent.

The contest for 7th District, which spans Denver's northern suburbs, is widely regarded as one of the most competitive in the country.

The district is currently represented by Republican Bob Beauprez, who is running for governor. With control of Congress at stake, both parties are expected to pour substantial amounts of money into the race this fall.

During the debate, the candidates expressed similar views on many issues, including immigration. They agreed that the country needs to control its borders but also needs to find ways to allow illegal immigrants with roots in this country to become citizens.

"This is a situation where we've had George Bush in the White House and a Republican Congress and they've done nothing about this issue," said Perlmutter, a former state senator from Jefferson County.

All three disagreed with Bush's recent veto of legislation that would have expanded federal support of medical research using stem cells.

"The fact that Rick O'Donnell was cheek-by-jowl with the president on this was disgraceful," said Lamm, a former state representative.

Two days after using the first veto of his presidency to kill the stem cell bill, Bush appeared at a luncheon in Cherry Hills Village that raised an estimated $600,000 for O'Donnell.

Rubenstein called for bringing home American troops from Iraq immediately.

"We've started a civil war in Iraq," he said. "We need to get our troops out."

Lamm and Perlmutter said they favored bringing the troops home but didn't want to set an immediate timetable.

All of the candidates said they would be the best choice to beat O'Donnell.

Perlmutter cited his deep roots in Jefferson County, where he grew up.

"I won in a Republican district," he said. "I know the values of my neighbors."

Lamm vowed a take-no-prisoners campaign against O'Donnell.

"We need someone who will stand up to special interests," she said. "If people want someone to beat Rick O'Donnell, I'm your person."

Rubenstein said he would go after O'Donnell's record on the environment.

"He's already said the federal government shouldn't be involved in environmental protection," he said. "Rick O'Donnell has a huge problem."

O'Donnell spent the day in Commerce City, working on a house for Habitat for Humanity. In a press release, O'Donnell said he was building a house "while the Democrats tear each other down."

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