Colorado Establishment Democrats Rush to Defend John Hickenlooper amid Ethics Scandal

Colorado establishment Democrats rushed to attack progressive Senate Democrat candidate Andrew Romanoff on Friday after Romanoff aired an ad criticizing former Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) for ethics violations.

Romanoff released an attack ad on Friday featuring Hickenlooper’s ethics violations and previous racial gaffes.

The Colorado Independent Ethics Commission slapped Hickenlooper last week with the highest ethics penalty for his use of a corporate jet and Maserati limo.

The narrator asked in the ad, “You gotta ask yourself: Why does John Hickenlooper take so many showers? I mean, he’ll never wash out the stain of oil and gas money. Maybe it’s the convictions for taking illegal gifts or being held in contempt. Scrub harder, Hick.”

The Romanoff ad will air online and on television until Colorado’s June 30 primary between him and Hickenlooper.

Melissa Miller, Hickenlooper’s campaign spokesperson, said in a statement on Friday, “Cory Gardner, Mitch McConnell and now Andrew Romanoff are spending nearly $2 million attacking John.”

Establishment Democrats rushed to defend Hickenlooper after Romanoff released the ad; although, they did not dispute the accuracy of the ad.

Democrat Gov. Jared Polis, who had promised to remain neutral in the race, said in a statement on Friday, “I’m disappointed that Andrew Romanoff has chosen to throw mud and attack John Hickenlooper instead of focusing on his own vision and record.”

Phil Weiser, the Colorado Democrat attorney general, said on Friday that Democrats such as Romanoff should refrain from using “ad hominem attacks” against their primary opponents.

“For Dems committed to winning this race, we would do well to stick to drawing contrasts rather than lobbing ad hominem attacks. As Steve Jobs put it, winning teams fight the competition; losing teams fight themselves,” Weiser wrote. “We need to win in Nov.”