Gaffe forces Senate candidate to pull ad

Published: May 15, 2008 at 8:30 PM

DENVER, May 15 (UPI) -- Former Rep. Bob Schaffer, R-Colo., yanked an ad for his U.S. Senate campaign because an image meant to show Pikes Peak actually showed Alaska's Mount McKinley.

Left-leaning bloggers had a field day with the TV ad, which was supposed to highlight Schaffer's commitment to Colorado, The Denver Post reported Thursday.

"To Schaffer, who came here from Ohio, all mountains probably look the same, but Coloradoans with common sense know better," wrote Michael Huttner, director of ProgressActionNow.org, the newspaper reported.

Schaffer is running against Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., for the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Wayne Allard, who is retiring. Udall began running an ad this week that emphasizes his support for renewable energy.

Neither Schaffer's nor Udall's ad mentions the candidates' party affiliation, the newspaper said.

"These are two individuals who, beyond their party base, are frankly not particularly well known," said Denver political analyst Floyd Ciruli. "Schaffer is trying to address specifically the idea that 'I am a mainstream regular good guy.'"

Udall "is immediately trying to marry his outdoors, environment image with an almost universally respected issue that has done great things for (elected officials) from (California Gov. Arnold) Schwarzenegger to (Colorado Gov. Bill) Ritter," said Ciruli.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
Study: Oceans' intake of CO2 slowing (<1 min)
Conscious man diagnosed in coma for years (<1 min)
Sharks' Thornton is top player of the week (7 min)
Police tie S.D. Chargers player to brawl (13 min)
Home sale spike continues (14 min)
Wigan to give refunds after 9-1 loss (22 min)
Cooking fires most likely on Thanksgiving (28 min)
fark
Doctors say rarely-performed "hemicorporectomy" procedure can add years to life of those who need...
Musicians on the road: the insanity, the groupies, the parmesan-crusted duck breast with balsamic...
Citing huge demand and turnout, NYC health authorities happily confirm .00143% of the city was vaccinated...
Half of drivers age 18-34 admit texting on the road; the other half reponded with ;)
If you're going to hide a sex offender at your home, maybe you shouldn't work for the State Police...
Budget cuts, office closures, and staff reductions may mean that visits to the DMV won't provide...