The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has released its first ad targeting Ken Buck, the Weld County DA who this month won the GOP nomination for the general election race against Sen. Michael Bennet. According to Hotline editor Reid Wilson, the DSCC bought $367,000 worth of airtime in Denver and Colorado Springs.
Buck early on won the support of Colorado’s substantial tea party movement and has not been shy in articulating his conservative views. Indeed, he has made national news for his restricted views on reproductive rights, skeptical stance toward climate change science, opposition to the principle of separation between church and state and for his jaundiced view of social security, among other things. In its ad, the DSCC, as the New York Times editorial board did last week, warns against Buck as a member of the new reactionary tea party-driven Republican Party whose views are out of step with the mainstream.
“Ken Buck; Too extreme for Colorado,” goes the tag line for the new ad.
The DSCC didn’t immediately return messages confirming the details of the ad buy.
The ad focuses on Buck’s early support of the movement to repeal the 17th Amendment, which provides for the direct election of Senators, an early twentieth century move to curb corruption, where candidates could pay off state lawmakers charged with appointing them to the Senate. Opponents of the amendment believe it thinned states’ rights. Buck was captured on video in June 2009 supporting the idea of repeal but later walked back that stance.
“It is not a position I still hold and it wasn’t a position I held a day later when I called back the guy who asked the question and talked to him about the issue and reflected more on it,” Buck said. “It doesn’t make sense to repeal the 17th Amendment and I have said it a dozen times.”
Here’s Buck last year supporting the idea at an appearance at the Pikes Peak Economics Club:
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Hat tip to Luke Johnson for forwarding details on the ad buy.
