April 15, 2010 11:44 PM UTC

Media should clarify Gardner's explanations for absences

• 1 Comments
• by: Jason Salzman

Back on March 19, on KCOL radio in Ft. Collins, Cory Gardner told guest host Brad Jones that there’s a natural overlap between Gardner’s State House duties and his activities as a candidate for U.S. Congress:

Brad Jones (at five minutes 15 seconds, March 18, hour 4): One issue on the campaign trail even before the caucuses this week has been your ability to balance your duties down at the State Capitol with the very rigorous demands of being a candidate in one of the most high profile congressional races in the country.  How have you been able to strike that balance? And what kind of job do you think you’ve been able to be doing at that?

Cory Gardner: You know I’ve given up sleep. It’s over-rated.

Brad Jones: Laughs.

Cory Gardner: And so we’ve been working very hard representing the people of eastern Colorado. My house district is basically the entire eastern plains of Colorado already, which is all within the 4th Congressional District. With the exception of a portion of Adams County, the rest of it is within the 4th Congressional.  And so we’re able to work for the people of Colorado, for the people of House District 63, fighting for water, agriculture, rural Colorado, at the same time as we stand up and fight for this country.

Does this mean that Gardner sees his congressional campaign and his duties as a state legislator as one and the same?

Has this made him less concerned about being absent for State House procedings when they conflict with his campaign activities?

You wouldn’t think so from reading The Denver Post’s Spot blog, where Gardner’s campaign says Gardner is upset about the string of absences and has accused Democrats of manipulating the House schedule, causing him to be absent on a number of occasions, including last Friday.

Either Jones or The Spot should ask Gardner to clarify himself.