Gaffe forces Senate candidate to pull ad

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.