It sounds like former Jefferson County Clerk and Recorder Pam Anderson is going to stick to the nuts and bolts of what the job requires in her campaign to unseat Secretary of State Jena Griswold.
But in making her announcement Saturday on KNUS radio, Anderson wasn’t afraid to call out Griswold for politicizing the office responsible for overseeing Colorado’s elections.
The political, hyper-partisan rhetoric employed by Griswold to communicate with all state voters has become a serious issue with the state election office, Anderson said.
It’s the exact opposite of how Anderson ran her office.
“I didn’t throw red meat to get clicks and talk to Washington D.C.,” Anderson told George Brauchler on his radio show in announcing her candidacy.
Anderson says she was shocked to see Griswold spent $2.8 million of COVID emergency funding on “communication,” — which turned out to be very expensive TV commercials promoting Jena during “Meet the Press.”
Anderson, a Republican, said that money could have been better utilized statewide among county clerk offices.
Anderson served two terms as Jefferson’s top election official and led the Colorado County Clerks Association for five years.
Griswold released an extraordinary statement to Colorado Politics in response to Anderson’s campaign announcement.
Griswold struck a somewhat conspiratorial tone in claims that she has already stopped a sinister plot to subvert democracy and steal the election, and will continue to do so no matter who runs against her in next year’s election.
It’s seriously, bizarre.
“As secretary of state, I am proud of the work we have done to protect the right to vote and ensure that every eligible Coloradan can participate in our democracy,” Griswold said in a statement released by her campaign Saturday.
“Under my leadership, we expanded access to voting, increased election security, and oversaw record-breaking elections even during the pandemic. And when anti-democratic forces have tried to suppress the vote, I have stopped them. No matter who enters this race, I will always be laser-focused on delivering results for Colorado voters.”
Well, hand that woman a cape and call her SuperParanoid.
If Jena comes off as a bit of a drama llama, it’s probably because she’s made so many enemies within her own office. Turnover among top executive staffers has been a real problem under Griswold’s leadership.
It’s no secret she’s a real nightmare to work for, which doesn’t come as a surprise since winning election to this office gave Griswold her first real job.
If she can’t keep her cool when one opponent announces, imagine how hateful the rest of this campaign is going to go.