DENVER – Labor Day may mean the end of summer, but it also marks the official start of the 2014 election season.
With just two months until Election Day, candidates and organizations wasted no time hitting the airwaves.
Republican U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner of Yuma, who is challenging Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Udall for a U.S. Senate seat, released an ad Tuesday highlighting his proposal to make common forms of oral contraception available to adults over-the-counter.
In the 30-second spot, Gardner is speaking to an audience in a town-hall setting.
“What’s the difference between me and Mark Udall on contraception?” he asks. “I believe the pill ought to be available over-the-counter, round-the-clock, without a prescription – cheaper and easier, for you.”
Gardner also suggested that Udall “wants to keep government bureaucrats between you and your health-care plan.”
Under the Affordable Care Act, private health-insurance plans are offering birth control and some other preventive services without co-pays or deductibles. Gardner has repeatedly supported repealing the federal law, whereas Udall supports it.
Udall’s camp called Gardner’s ad “jaw-dropping.” It highlighted Gardner’s support for a federal measure that many equate to personhood.
Gardner co-sponsored the Life Begins at Conception Act, which pro-choice advocates say would ban common forms of contraception, though Gardner’s camp maintains that it would not change contraception laws.
“Congressman Gardner will do anything to hide his backwards agenda from Colorado women,” said Kristin Lynch, Udall for Colorado spokeswoman. “The undeniable fact is Gardner continues to push radical, anti-woman measures that would ban common forms of birth control. One 30-second ad doesn’t make up for that.”
The Udall team also noted a July statement from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which said permitting the pill over-the-counter would not be as significant and worthwhile as expanded health insurance.
“Cost is a major factor in a woman’s consistent use of contraception, and many women simply cannot afford the out-of-pocket costs of contraceptives without health-insurance coverage,” the Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in the statement.
Meanwhile, the Republican Governors Association released an ad Tuesday attacking Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, who is facing a tough re-election bid against Republican Bob Beauprez, a former congressman who represented the 7th Congressional District.
The Republican Governors pointed to Hickenlooper’s executive order granting a temporary reprieve from execution for convicted killer Nathan Dunlap. The Durango Herald recently spoke with a juror and prosecutor who were both outraged by the governor’s reprieve. Victims’ families also have expressed concerns.
“Colorado needs a real leader in the governor’s office, not a coward who lets politics dictate his decisions on the state’s toughest issues,” said Republican Governors spokeswoman Gail Gitcho.
Hickenlooper has vowed to run a positive campaign. Last week, he released an ad poking fun at a Republican Governors’ ad that shows photos of Hickenlooper playing pool with President Barack Obama in Denver in July.
“John Hickenlooper is a fun guy to shoot pool with, but when it comes to making the tough decisions, Hickenlooper won’t step up to the table,” said the ad.
Hickenlooper released a positive billiards video in response, placing a spotlight on the state’s job creation and overall economy, as well as flood-recovery efforts.
In the video, the governor is carefully considering his next shot. Using tools to strategically figure out where to hit the ball, Hickenlooper sinks a trick shot.
“We’ve moved Colorado up despite the odds,” Hickenlooper says in the ad. “Nothing can hold us down. Coloradans know better than to take their cues from attack ads.”
pmarcus@durangoherald.com
