Not only did Democratic governor wannabe Jared Polis snub Club 20 by rejecting their invitation to the traditional kick-off debate of the General Election season, he didn’t even bother to inform them.
Club 20 leaders read about it in a press release.
And, not only is Polis skipping the event, he added insult to injury by offering to send Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne in his stead.
Because, not only was Lynne defeated by Polis in the Democratic primary, she came in dead last behind every single gubernatorial candidate, on both sides of the political aisle, in Mesa County.
So unpopular is she among Western voters, she managed to scrape up just over 1,000 votes out of more than 11,000 ballots cast in Mesa County.
That’s a double slap to the face with white silk gloves Polis has delivered to Western Slope voters.
Club 20 is so taken aback at the insult, they have to regroup to decide whether they would even allow a surrogate at their debate, because no candidate in their history has ever shrugged off their invitation before to a surrogate.
From the Denver Post:
Executive Director Christian Reece said the organization’s leadership team will meet next week to discuss whether to allow a surrogate.
Beyond the debate itself, the perceived snub highlights the urban-rural divide in Colorado’s statewide political races.
“Frankly, it’s really a slight to western Colorado,” Reece said in an interview. “When we talk about the urban-rural divide which often plagues our state, it’s these types of things that further that divide.”
Ironically, Polis carried Mesa County on the Democrat side. But the fact he refuses to face the voters at a Club 20 debate, where the topics aren’t socially driven but focused on energy, land, water and the economy, proves he is not ready for prime-time leadership of the state.
Polis will need to be constantly reminded during this campaign he’s not running for governor of Boulder, he’s running to lead the entire State of Colorado, and that includes all those towns west of Denver.