Like it or not, there are only a few really competitive conference seats in Colorado. But every two years, parties manage to find candidates who are willing to run ahead of everyone else, despite having little to no chance of winning.
Republican Valdamar Archuleta is one of those candidates this cycle. He is running against Democratic incumbent Diana DeGette in the state’s bluest district.
But he doesn’t act like a traditional Republican.
On a Saturday evening, a week before the election, Archuleta found himself about two stories underground, behind a heavy steel door, beginning a campaign pub crawl at a speakeasy near Union Station.
“I’m just excited that we’re going to get out tonight and get out into the neighborhood and talk to people and share the message of Valdamar,” said Ashley Troxel of the Denver GOP. Troxel hoped the event would change the way people view her party. “Republicans can have fun. And most of us, incredibly – especially in Denver, Colorado – are very moderate in our views and do not reflect how we are often portrayed in the media.
The friends and supporters who came to the pub crawl were all aware that Denver is a politically difficult place for Republicans, to say the least. There are four times as many registered Democrats as Republicans, even though unaffiliated voters make up the largest bloc. DeGette won her last re-election with 80 percent of the votes.
Supporters who live in the district say rallies like this campaign event provide a “safe space” for like-minded Republicans to gather in the city without worrying about being yelled at or arguing.
“It’s kind of a unique event, especially for a campaign, especially for a Republican candidate,” Archuleta said. “But I also feel like Denver Congressional District One is a very unique district.”
People working on Archuleta’s campaign are hoping for a change in the district, even as they acknowledge the minuscule chance of preventing DeGette from winning a 15th term. Patty McMahon said she thinks the congresswoman’s long tenure is commendable, but doesn’t believe serving in Congress should be a lifelong career choice.
“Not to say that I think Diana DeGette is doing anything wrong. I think Diana DeGette has been a very admirable representative of her district,” McMahon said. “However, she has been representing her district for a long time and I think it is time for a change.”
Other attendees at the pub crawl said they are excited about how Archuleta is changing the narrative around what people think about Republicans.
Archuleta, part Native American and part Spanish, works as a massage therapist. He is also chairman of the state’s Log Cabin Republicans, which represents the party’s LGBT+ members.
Archuleta knows he’s not the typical Republican — and he thinks that might help — especially in an area like Denver where Republicans have “kind of given up — that it’s not even worth fighting or getting involved here in Denver to get involved in politics like We can’t give up on this city. There is a lot that can be done.”
A few days after the pub crawl, at a coffee shop in the Santa Fe Arts District, Archuleta said he was asked to run for the chair for the first time last cycle, but said no.
“I started talking to people about it, like, ‘You know what they asked me to do? This is crazy.’ And then there were people who started saying to me, ‘Well, you have to do it,'” he recalled.
This time he said yes. He is clear about his zero chance of a disruption, but that is not his goal.
“I’m trying to move the needle. “I think I’m trying to show people in the city of Denver that Republicans are not who they are often portrayed to be, that many of our ideas are solutions that they actually agree with,” he explained. “I’ve found that when I just talk to people, they agree with most of what I say. And so I think there’s a lot more support for us.
However, getting that message out was not easy. Archuleta raised just over $12,000 for his run. His opponent DeGette raised more than $1 million.
But he has achieved some campaign milestones, such as a debate with DeGette, something not all candidates do in very safe places. Archuletta gives Democrats credit for that.
“Afterwards we had a nice long conversation outside. And a lot of it, again, wasn’t even about politics, it was just two people talking. And I think she’s a nice person. On a personal level, I have nothing against her,” he said.
He added that there is also the freedom to enter an unwinnable race.
Candidates in close competitions must be careful with everything they say and do.
“Whereas myself – not that I want to lose votes or that I’m going to do something crazy – but if something comes up and it says, ‘Okay, I want to speak out about this,’” he said. “You can take more risks that way. So I feel like you can just be more true to who you are.
For example, then the Republican Party of Colorado State sent an anti-Pride emailhe spoke out against it and refused the party’s approval.
Another benefit of a safe Democratic seat: Some of his Democratic friends might even vote for him.
Although he won’t be going to Washington, D.C., Archuleta said that doesn’t mean he has lost. He really enjoys getting to know the city where he grew up and its residents, having attended city council meetings and speaking to different communities.
“I’ve gone to these places and I feel like when I’ve spoken out and said things that are maybe a little more conservative, there’s a lot of people in the room who I think appreciated someone bringing that into the conversation ” he says. said.
Overall, Archuleta said it was a rewarding experience.
But when he asked if he wanted to do it again, he smiled.
“One of my volunteers who knocked on the door a few weeks ago said to me, ‘You’re going to miss this when it’s over.’ I thought, ‘Am I?’ I don’t think so. I think I’ll be happy when this is over,” he said, laughing.
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