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2 ads blast Udall; both termed false

John C. Ensslin and Chris Barge

Published December 4, 2007 at 12:30 a.m.

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A pair of attack ads created by an independent group criticize Colorado Senate candidate Mark Udall for his stance on drilling for offshore oil near Cuba and a proposed Department of Peace.

The first ad shows two men talking over breakfast. One man refers to Udall as a "Boulder liberal" and derides a Department of Peace proposal introduced in 2001.

A woman's voice then states, "radical Islam wants Americans dead . . . what part of dead doesn't he (Udall) understand?"

The second ad shows men in military uniforms on the mock "Cuban News Network" talking about Udall getting a "Cuban Hero" award for his bill that would have created an exception to the U.S. trade embargo to allow American companies to drill for oil off Cuba. The ad also makes fun of Udall's opposition to drilling on Colorado's Roan Plateau.

Udall, D-Eldorado Springs, is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Wayne Allard. Udall represents the 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses areas northwest of Denver, including the city of Boulder.

The ads will air over the next two weeks, primarily outside the Denver area, said Patrick Davis, executive director of Common Sense Issues Inc., which is behind the ads.

Udall campaign spokesman Mike Melanson called both ads false and misleading.

Melanson said Udall at one time was one of 44 sponsors of the Department of Peace bill. He withdrew his sponsorship after becoming "uncomfortable" with some of the details of the bill, including the $8 billion price tag, Melanson said.

On the drilling issue, Melanson noted several other countries are benefiting from oil exploration off Cuba. As for Roan, he said Udall's opposition to drilling there is garnering support among the state's hunters and sportsmen.

Jennifer Duffy of the bipartisan Cook Political Report in Washington, D.C., said the ads exploit Udall's biggest vulnerability: being branded as a Boulder liberal.

It's a label that will hurt Udall more than if Schaffer is branded as a Fort Collins conservative, she said.

"Typically in races like that in Colorado, Republicans have emerged fairly successfully because it comes down to suburban voters," she said.

Comments

  • December 4, 2007

    9:57 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    DougH writes:

    Already the Republican smear campaign against Mark Udall is starting. It shows his importanace when Republicans start Swift Boating him so early in the race. You won't see any positive ads for Bob Schaffer coming from Republicans as he is just another do -nothing Wayne Allard clone from Ft. Collins.