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All-out blitz for open seat in Colorado's 2nd C.D.By Jennifer Auther/CNNBOULDER, Colorado (October 13) -- With liberal Democrat David Skaggs stepping down in Colorado's 2nd congressional district after six terms, Republicans see a chance to take over a traditionally Democratic district, but Democrats plan to fight. The White House is pulling out the big guns for Colorado's Mark Udall, sending the likes of Vice President Al Gore out to campaign for the Democratic House candidate.
If the name sounds familiar, it should. Mark Udall is the son of former Arizona Rep. Mo Udall and the nephew of Stewart Udall, who served as Secretary of the Interior under President John Kennedy. Unofficial polls show the first-term Colorado legislator in a close race against self-made millionaire and Republican nominee Bob Greenlee. Greenlee is a moderate who favors abortion rights. He is on Boulder's city council and has served as mayor. The race for this open congressional seat may signal whether the impeachment inquiry resonates beyond the Beltway. Udall has said, "Americans, by and large, believe that what the president did was wrong but that what he did does not constitute an impeachable offense." "The whole matter is like a 300-pound gorilla," Greenlee said. "It's there. But I would prefer to sort of just not deal with that, when it comes to going before people."
For the most part, both candidates have avoided the Monica Lewinsky scandal and instead focused on the issues. One Udall campaign ad stresses education: "As an educator, he (Udall) knows we need to lower class sizes, raise standards and make our schools safe." Greenlee says in his own ad, "My plan upsizes the power of families and downsizes the power of government." Democratic control of Colorado's 2nd C.D. dates all the way back to 1974 and the Democratic windfall from the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixon, who had just resigned. But this traditionally liberal college town, commonly compared to California's Berkeley, is changing. Political analyst Daniel Sloan said, "It appears that the majority of the people coming in here are probably Republicans." Most of those coming in to enjoy Colorado's slower pace are affluent and from California. Still, a majority -- 38 percent of the electorate -- are registered independents, meaning both Udall and Greenlee must appeal to the middle. MORE STORIES:Tuesday, October 13, 1998
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