I’ve always been a Gary Hart fan and was a little disappointed when he backed out of his fledgling presidential campaign last year. He brings a seriousness and an intellect to politics that I think the process definitely needs.
But Hart decided against it, concluding that he wasn’t prepared for the grueling campaigning and desperate fundraising the race would require. He enjoyed being in the thick of things again, but wasn’t ready for a national campaign.
Well, Gary, how about a statewide campaign instead?
Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) is up for re-election this year, and at this point, Colorado Democrats have not attracted any big name candidates into challenging the incumbent. Rep. Mark Udall (D) expressed some initial interest, but ultimately announced he’d like to keep his House seat.
Party leaders, looking for a candidate who could seriously challenge Campell, turned to Hart, who served two terms in the Senate representing Colorado in the 1980s. Apparently, Hart is warming to the idea.
“It’s serious enough that he’s pondering the ‘how to’ aspect of the campaign,” said one Democratic official. “He thinks if he got in this race he would win, but he’s got a lot of other factors that weigh into this and this is obviously a big jump.”
The AP noted that Hart has discussed the race with Sen. Jon Corzine (D-N.J.), chairman of the Democrats’ Senate campaign organization, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, Deputy Minority Leader Harry Reid, and state party leaders. I don’t want to read between the lines here, but anyone who takes these steps certainly sounds like a candidate.
The AP is also citing a poll conducted a month ago by Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican polling firm, that showed Campbell leading Hart in a hypothetical match-up, 51% to 36%. Nevertheless, there’s some data to suggest that Campbell, despite having won his last race with 62% support, may be vulnerable.
Campbell, you may recall, was initially elected as a Democrat, but changed parties in 1995. Since then, Democrats resent him for abandoning the party and Republicans don’t think he’s quite conservative enough.
In June, the Mellman Group, a Democratic polling outfit, conducted a statewide poll for the DSCC. According to the survey, 45% of Coloradoans said they believe Campbell should be re-elected. A combined 41% said they are either open to voting for someone else or they remain undecided. For a two-term incumbent, those aren’t great numbers.
Hart will have to decide fairly soon. I’d look for an announcement before the end of the month.