Shafroth runs above 2nd CD fray

By Todd Hartman, Rocky Mountain News

Published July 16, 2008 at 5:32 p.m.
Updated July 16, 2008 at 5:32 p.m.

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The attacks are flying in the Democratic primary race for the 2nd congressional district, with Jared Polis now lobbing daily bombs against rival Joan Fitz-Gerald and Fitz-Gerald's campaign responding with criticisms of their own.

Left unscathed: Will Shafroth, another candidate in the three-person race left untargeted by his opponents and who has refrained from tarring the others.

It's a high road Shafroth is taking — a "conscious decision," he said — but also one that leaves him in danger of losing headlines to his two opponents who seem more willing to mix it up.

"You have to behave badly to get good press — I just think that is what's so wrong (with politics) and what people are fed up with," Shafroth said. It's what he hears on his door-to-door campaigning, more often than even complaints about the Iraq war or health care, he said.

"Across the board, the thing that people are fed up with is the whole style of politics in Washington, the partisan bickering and not the problem solving," he said.

Indeed, playing well with others regardless of party or position marks a key theme of Shafroth's campaign. In many years of assembling land conservation deals, he said he resolved conflicting interests by working for consensus and shunning a polarizing approach.

Shafroth sums up his positive, attack-free campaigning this way: "How we choose to run our campaigns is a statement on how we will serve in Congress."

Attack-free campaigning might be a laudable goal, but it also carries risks, said Democratic political consultant Steve Welchert.

"You risk not being a participant," Welchert said. "I understand his strategy — he figures these two will muddy up the waters and you can come up the middle as a Clean Jean candidate. The risk inherent in that is you're not relevant, not part of the dialogue."

Shafroth rejects any idea he's not a player in the race, pointing to his fundraising: He had more cash on hand after second quarter financial reports that Fitz-Gerald, the most recognized name of the three and the one most established within the Democratic party.

"It's saying something significant," Shafroth said, "that I have a very strong grassroots based of support and it's growing all the time."

While Polis' campaign has targeted Fitz-Gerald's contributions from energy and mining groups, Fitz-Gerald's campaign has pointed to Polis' donors in the oil and gas industry, as well as the idea that his enormous fortune makes it hard for voters to identify with him.

But neither has devoted any energy to attacking Shafroth.

Welchert said that likely means Shafroth isn't showing strong enough support in the campaigns' internal polling to merit targeting.

"He's raised plenty of money, and got plenty of endorsements — a lot of serious people jumped on his bandwagon," Welchert said. "He's got just about as much money as Joan. It's a question of how to marshal those resources and break out of the pack. That's his challenge."

Shafroth countered that there's good reason he's not getting the attacks: There's little negative for his opponents to spotlight.

"I don't necessary think there's that much mud to sling at me," he said. "My track record is pretty clean. I've had 28 years in public serve — I'm not sure what there is to pick at there."

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