Republican Ryan Frazier and his “Obama-esque charisma”
| The news continues to be good for Republican Ryan Frazier, who is trying to unseat U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter.
The Cook Political Report today changed the race from “likely Democrat” to “leans Democrat,” signaling Frazier is gaining ground on the popular two-term Democrat from Golden. “Aurora Councilman Ryan Frazier won the August primary convincingly and is a strong challenger whose background as a veteran, charter school backer, and an African-American Republican put him on plenty of “rising stars” lists long before he jumped out of the Senate race and into the House race. Perlmutter has strong union backing and still has the edge, but this is a competitive race.” Two days earlier, columnist Dick Morris speculated in The Hill that Colorado Republicans would unseat three Democratic congress members: Perlmutter, John Salazar and Betsy Markey. “Ed Perlmutter, a solidly entrenched Democrat in a supposedly nearly-safe district, is running one point behind his GOP opponent, the unusually articulate Ryan Frazier (a black Republican with Obama-esque charisma),” Morris wrote. (Whether he’s right about the three seats will be known in two months, but Morris is clearly wrong about the 7th Congressional District being a nearly-safe Democratic seat. It’s a swing district and Republicans won it 2002 and 2004.) In addition, a poll released late last month from Magellan Data and Mapping Strategies showed Republican Ryan Frazier and Democrat Ed Perlmutter in a dead heat. The poll of 830 likely voters found Frazier with support from 40 percent of respondents and Perlmutter supported by 39 percent of those contacted. It’s a tough climate for Democrats this year, but Perlmutter’s supporters note he is a tireless campaigner and is well-known throughout the district, where he was born and raised. He’s been praised by veterans and other groups. Also running is Libertarian Buck Bailey |