{"id":40445,"date":"2022-05-24T16:18:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T22:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/is-calling-denver-a-toilet-bowl-a-winning-message-for-colorado-republicans-in-2022\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:55:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:55:28","slug":"is-calling-denver-a-toilet-bowl-a-winning-message-for-colorado-republicans-in-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/is-calling-denver-a-toilet-bowl-a-winning-message-for-colorado-republicans-in-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Is calling Denver a \u2018toilet bowl\u2019 a winning message for Colorado Republicans in 2022?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sun
Sun glints off buildings late Friday, May 6, 2022, in downtown Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Republicans\u2019 statements follow comments about rural Colorado<\/div>\n

\u201cA toilet bowl.\u201d \u201cA city that no one wants to come to.\u201d \u201cThere\u2019s nobody out there that says Denver\u2019s great anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those were three takes on the Mile High City earlier this month from three different Republican state representatives. The remarks were made during a news conference recapping the 2022 legislative session and they raised eyebrows given the upcoming election.<\/p>\n

The Colorado GOP this year, after four years without a majority in either the Colorado House or Senate, is trying to win back some power in November. They will need the support of voters in Denver, a Democratic stronghold, and its surrounding counties, which make up the state\u2019s population center, to do it.<\/p>\n

Nineteen of Colorado\u2019s 35 state Senate districts are in or touch Arapahoe, Adams, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties. When it comes to state House districts, 35 of the 65 districts are either in or include one or more of those metro Denver counties.<\/p>\n

In other words: the road to power in the legislature runs through Denver, which, according to several House Republicans, isn\u2019t such a great place.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have basically let the downtown area become a toilet bowl,\u201d said Rep. Matt Soper, a Delta Republican. \u201cYou feel safe in our part of Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n

House Minority Leader Hugh McKean, R-Loveland, said Denver is a \u201ccity out of control,\u201d referencing crime.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would challenge anybody that\u2019s saying that Denver is not on a downward spiral,\u201d said Rep. Colin Larson, a Ken Caryl Republican and one of the only GOP lawmakers in the Denver suburbs. \u201cI would just have to say that doesn\u2019t pass the smell test.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Colorado
Colorado State Rep. Hugh McKean, R-Loveland, stands for the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance as the 2022 legislative session opened Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, in the State Capitol in Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Douglas County, a conservative stronghold, is really the only metro Denver county where Republicans have consistently won in recent election cycles.<\/p>\n

The irony is that Republicans often complain when Democrats criticize rural Colorado. Take, for instance, the condemnation leveled at Marlon Reis, Gov. Jared Polis\u2019 husband, last month after a 2021 Facebook comment he posted surfaced.<\/p>\n

In the comment, reported on by The Fence Post in a story about controversy surrounding a prairie dog relocation plan, Reis complained about rural Coloradans whining when state and federal money is sent their way. \u201cYou\u2019d best learn not to bite the hand that feeds you,\u201d Reis wrote. \u201cColorado is more than ranchers, and it\u2019s time to adapt rather than complain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kristi Burton Brown, chairwoman of the Colorado GOP, said Reis\u2019 words were \u201cpathetic\u201d and \u201cdisgusting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Polis visited the rural town of Mancos on Tuesday, and touted his plans for education legislation and funding, and free preschool for all.<\/p>\n

Sen. Kerry Donovan, a Vail Democrat who represents rural parts of Western Colorado, said Republicans are talking about Denver in the same vein that Democrats have talked about rural areas. Donovan said the GOP, which often complains about the urban-rural divide, should know better.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very dangerous political strategy to create division to try to win elections,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But McKean said it\u2019s not fair to compare Reis\u2019 remarks to those from him and his caucus. He said he wasn\u2019t castigating any group or person, and that what\u2019s happened in Denver, in his opinion, is the result of Democratic policies. That\u2019s where the politics behind criticizing Denver come in.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat politics truly is, I think, and especially this year, is a study of contrasts,\u201d he said. \u201cYou take a look at what Denver was just a few years ago and the cycle that it\u2019s gone through and in the midst of large policy changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKean spoke broadly about policies on crime and homelessness. Those are two issues the GOP is promising to tackle if they win in November, along with rising consumer costs.<\/p>\n

McKean said the remarks about Denver aren\u2019t part of an election strategy, however. \u201cI think it\u2019s more just a commentary,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But not every Republican seems to think blasting Denver, whose home prices are soaring as people try to buy into a city with a limited housing supply, is such a good idea.<\/p>\n

Sen. Paul Lundeen, a Monument Republican leading efforts to secure a GOP majority in the Senate, said Thursday night during a Colorado Sun event that he thinks Denver \u201ccould do better,\u201d but he\u2019s not sure attacking the capital city is a winning strategy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not as safe as it was when I first showed up at the legislature eight years ago,\u201d he said. \u201cDo you build a campaign on that? No. You build a campaign on helping the people of Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even Cole Wist, a former Republican state representative who used to be in the same caucus as McKean, appeared to push back on Twitter.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike many metro areas, Denver has some things to work on,\u201d he posted, \u201cbut it is definitely a great city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sen. Chris Hansen, a Denver Democrat weighing a mayoral bid next year, rejected the criticism wholecloth. He thinks the remarks will hurt Republicans in November.<\/p>\n

\u201cDenver definitely has issues like every other city, but this is a wonderful city,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is not going to be a winning strategy, I can say with clarity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Polis said he doesn\u2019t think the attacks on Denver are \u201cgood politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it ever works to attack part of the state that you want to represent,\u201d he said. \u201cDenver is the cultural capital of our state. You go to Rockies and Broncos and Nuggets games. No area of the state is perfect, but we all value every part of the state. I love Grand Junction. I love Colorado Springs. I love Denver. I love Boulder. They\u2019re all great. I don\u2019t think you hear very many \u2014 you certainly don\u2019t hear me \u2014 attacking parts of the state that are conservative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democrats hold a 20-15 majority in the Colorado Senate and a 41-24 majority in the House.<\/p>\n

Read more at The Colorado Sun<\/div>\n

The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported, nonpartisan news organization dedicated to covering Colorado issues. To learn more, go to coloradosun.com.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

glints off buildings late Friday, May 6, 2022, in downtown Denver. (AP Photo\/David Zalubowski) Republicans\u2019 statements follow comments about rural Colorado \u201cA toilet bowl.\u201d \u201cA city that no one wants to come to.\u201d \u201cThere\u2019s nobody out there that says Denver\u2019s great anymore.\u201d Those were three takes on the Mile High City earlier this month […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[394,233,819,28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-40445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-colorado-legislature","tag-coloradosun-com","tag-gov-jared-polis","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40445"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84653,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40445\/revisions\/84653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40445"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=40445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}