As if Republican Cory Gardner needed any more momentum in his campaign for Senate, President Barak Obama handed him a sound byte tailor made to attack his opponent, incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Udall.
In a radio interview with Rev. Al Sharpton, Obama obliterated Udall’s contention that the White House quakes in his shadow because of his willingness to disagree with the president’s policies. (RELATED: Udall Asks For Do-Over In Awkward Interview)
“The bottom line is, though, these are all folks who vote with me; they have supported my agenda in Congress,” Obama said, referring to Democratic senators fighting not only to keep their jobs, but also to preserve the imperiled Democratic majority in the Senate.
“These are folks who are strong allies and supporters of me.”
One could practically hear foreheads being slapped at Udall’s campaign headquarters, where the incumbent has tried in vain to position himself, despite his voting record, as a White House antagonist.
Gardner’s campaign has long hammered Udall for voting in tandem with Obama 99 percent of the time, a figure derived from Congressional Quarterly. Udall has steadfastly tried to paint a different picture, sometimes with ludicrous results.
Udall famously stiffed Obama when he came to Colorado for a fundraiser, opting instead to stay in Washington to avoid photos of him standing beside the increasingly unpopular president.
During a recent debate, Udall dodged a question — and a follow-up — asking him which of Obama’s policies he would vote against if he’s re-elected.
And Udall was openly mocked on CNN for saying that he’s the last person the White House wants to see walking across the lawn, due to his independent nature, which prompted reporter Peter Hamby to say, “That is hilariously wrong, and not true.”
For Gardner, Obama’s comment was a capstone on an early week full of good news.
On Tuesday, the Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling had him ahead of Udall by three points, 46-43, barely within the 3.5 percent margin of error. It’s the latest of many polls showing him in the lead.
And on Monday, he announced having raised $1.28 million in donations for the first two weeks of the month, leaving him with $1.87 million cash on hand, which, not surprisingly, will be spent on television ads.
“As we press ahead in the final two weeks of this campaign, we can keep our message on the airwaves because of the generosity of so many supporters,” Gardner said in a press release.
There’s little question which sound bytes the ads will feature.
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