DENVER – The Republican field for U.S. Senate in Colorado grew on Thursday with an announcement from former Aurora Councilman Ryan Frazier.
Frazier, 38, is seeking his party’s nomination to unseat Democrat Michael Bennet in 2016. He faces an uphill battle.
While he has name recognition within political circles, Frazier will have to work to establish himself as a household name. Fundraising also will be a challenge, as Bennet has more than $4.3 million in the bank.
“It takes a different kind of Republican candidate to win Colorado,” Frazier told The Durango Herald.
He became at least the fifth Republican to announce, though the party continues to search for someone with significant statewide recognition.
In outlining his platform, much of Frazier’s campaign mirrors goals shared by traditional Republicans, including advocating for fiscal responsibility, pro-life policies and protecting constitutional freedoms, such as gun rights.
But he also pointed to ideas such as addressing student debt and reforming the criminal justice system.
“There are a number of issues and things that are impacting people’s daily lives in our country as a whole that Republicans have to be able to provide solutions to,” Frazier said.
“Criminal justice, student loans, education reform has to be part of the conversation right there with how we grow our economy and how we protect our country.”
Democrats were fast to attack Frazier, pointing to failed election bids in the past, including an unsuccessful campaign for a U.S. House seat against Democratic incumbent Ed Perlmutter in 2010. He again lost in 2011 in his quest to become Aurora’s mayor.
“Frazier has lost every campaign he’s attempted since 2010, and no matter who gets their nomination, Republicans will be left with a weak nominee who can’t win in 2016,” said Colorado Democratic Party spokesman Andrew Zucker.
Frazier countered that over the course of his political career, he has won three elections, including his Aurora council seat. He says he has grown over the past five years, running a small business and co-founding an Aurora charter school that has two-thirds minority enrollment.
“In the state of Colorado, we like to think that when you fall down, you get right back up, you dust yourself off and you keep going,” Frazier said. “With a lot of hard work, we have a legitimate shot to win this.”
pmarcus@durangoherald.com