Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

Party heavyweights weigh in 7th district

Chris Barge, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 15, 2006 at midnight

Text size  

More Airlines & Aerospace

More stories »

He's been blamed for runaway deficit spending and smudged by Washington's ethics scandals.

She's a San Francisco liberal who Republicans feature in ads reminding voters of what a Democratic-controlled Congress could unleash.

Love them or hate them, Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will both stump in Denver this week. And the Republican and Democrat running for suburban Denver's 7th Congressional District will have to appear both enthusiastic and distant as they stand by their party leaders' sides.

Democrat Ed Perlmutter and Republican Rick O'Donnell are trying to win over moderates in a district that is evenly divided between Democrats, Republicans and independents.

"Ultimately, both of these candidates are going to have to put some distance between themselves and Washington," Denver pollster Floyd Ciruli said.

To that end, both Perlmutter and O'Donnell noted Monday they differ from their party leaders on key issues. But both said they also will welcome the Washington heavyweights with open arms.

Pelosi will take the podium this afternoon at Denver Pipefitter's Local 208 to lay out the House Democrats' "New Direction for America," a six-point platform calling for redeployment of troops from Iraq, raising the minimum wage, tax breaks for college students, development of alternative energy, expanded stem cell research and stopping the privatization of Social Security.

Perlmutter said that while he supports all of the planks of what is being talked about as the Democratic version of former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America," Perlmutter's campaign stressed that he's an independent, conservative Democrat.

"That's his challenge, to catch this national tailwind without getting entangled with some of the bad parts of the party's image," Ciruli said.

Unlike Pelosi, Perlmutter supports giving the president line-item veto power, which could prevent pork-barrel spending, campaign spokesman Scott Chase said. He also supports term limits for members of the House Appropriations Committee and building a fence on parts of the Mexican border.

On Wednesday, House Speaker Hastert will help raise money for O'Donnell. It will be the speaker's second such trip.

Dick Cheney and President Bush also have headlined fundraisers for O'Donnell, and Democrats have jumped on each of those visits to paint O'Donnell as a rubber stamp for what it calls Bush's failed agenda.

O'Donnell responds by saying America needs a change, and that he's the fresh face it needs in Washington to stop deficit spending, bring ethics back to Congress and reform education, among other things.

O'Donnell also does not hesitate to criticize the very Republicans who have come to town to raise money on his behalf.

"I'm basically taking on Denny Hastert and the entire Republican leadership and how they've run the House," O'Donnell said Monday.

But that's not stopping them from trying get O'Donnell elected.

"They're here because they know I can win the race and they're excited to have some new blood in Washington," O'Donnell said.

Democrats say Republican leaders back O'Donnell because they know he will do their bidding in Congress.

For that reason, voters can expect to see a photo of O'Donnell emerging with Bush from Air Force One in Denver last month in future Democrat ads.

So, what price could O'Donnell pay for his photo-op with Bush?

"Ask Mr. Lieberman about his kiss," Ciruli said.