Ben Nighthorse Campbell is the most Colorado thing to happen in any election, whether it was his own races for the House and Senate, or his endorsements in the years after his retirement from politics.
He was a conservative Democrat before switching to the Republican side and is entirely comfortable pissing off both parties. He revels in it, we suspect.
He especially hates the media.
So it’s not really surprising the old man took a swipe at his hometown paper, the Durango Herald, and expressed his disappointment in their “questionable” decision to endorse U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s reelection.
Campbell fired off his response in an editorial to the Campfire Colorado in which he endorses O’Dea, and compares their similar story and hard upbringings.
“I left the Democratic party in the 1990s because it was no longer the party of working Americans – a trend that has only worsened since then. Joe is the only candidate in this race who knows what working Coloradans face – because he is one.”
He goes on to write:
“I see a lot of similarities between Joe’s story and mine. We both ran into challenges during our upbringings and got into some trouble in school. Joe never met his biological mother, and I came from a dysfunctional home and popped in and out of orphanages. We both later got a dose of discipline and structure that helped turn our lives around. We both seized opportunity to achieve success.
“Neither of us had a typical path to the U.S. Senate. But we have lived this unique American experience where anyone – even a mixed-blood kid from the wrong side of the tracks like myself – has the freedom to be what you want, strive for success, and make a better life for your family.
“Perhaps the Durango Herald is confused because Joe’s not a traditional Republican. I wasn’t either.”
We don’t always agree with Campbell, but the man has style, knows his own mind, and is never afraid to speak it.
We need more public officials like that.