Two 5th CD hopefuls decline to sign pledge
Four Republican candidates who are considered to be the underdogs in the race to replace Joel Hefley in Congress are lambasting fellow candidate Doug Lamborn for spreading lies about them – while vowing to be “honest and truthful” in their own campaigns.
GOP candidates John Anderson, Duncan Bremer, Jeff Crank and Bentley Rayburn today unveiled an “Integrity in Campaigning Pledge” during a press conference in Colorado Springs.“I’m a Ronald Reagan conservative and Ronald Reagan didn’t believe in attacking other conservatives,” said Crank.
Crank is a former Hefley aide and lobbyist with the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, and says Lamborn has wrongly accused him of supporting taxes and not being conservative enough to represent the district.
Lamborn and Lionel Rivera, who are considered frontrunners in the race, did not sign the pledge (which appears below). Rivera, currently mayor of Colorado Springs whose polls show him to be the current frontrunner in the GOP primary race, has previously said he cannot control the activities of outside groups when it comes to negative – or positive – campaigning.
In campaign materials Lamborn, currently a state senator from Colorado Springs, has stated that he is “the only Republican for Congress with a proven record of cutting taxes” and is the only one who has a proven conservative record. However, Bremer, a former county commissioner, maintains that he has a “40-year proven conservative record.”
During the increasingly heated race, all six GOP candidates have made the conservative mantra the mantle of their campaign.
Integrity in Campaigning Pledge
“I pledge to be fully honest and truthful in all my statements to the public, to the media, to my supporters, and to my opponents.
“I will provide facts to back up my statements. If a statement I make can easily be misconstrued, I will clarify it to avoid misunderstanding. If a statement I make proves incorrect, I will promptly, publicly apologize and immediately cease to make the incorrect statement.
“I will require my campaign management and my major supporters (all PACS and institutions who endorse me) to sign this agreement as well or publicly refuse their support. If a 527 organization appears to be supporting me or opposing my opponent(s), I will publicly request that they sign and abide by this agreement as well, and make public their response.”