Democrat launches his bid for congress

Democrat Hal Bidlack kicked off his campaign for Congress on Wednesday with a fierce critique of the Bush administration and an acknowledgment he'll have a tough road in a Republican-dominated area.

Bidlack wants to represent the state's 5th Congressional District, which includes El Paso, Teller, Fremont, Chaffee, and Lake counties, and most of Park County.

"I feel compelled to be a part of the solution to the failed policies of the past seven years," Bidlack told about 50 supporters who met for his campaign announcement at the public library in downtown Colorado Springs. "For seven long years we have been told to be afraid. We have been governed by men who trade in fear and tell us they are the only ones who can keep us safe."

Bidlack, a 50-year-old Air Force veteran and political science professor at the Air Force Academy, will face the winner of the Aug. 12 Republican primary election. The general election is Nov. 4.

The candidates in the Republican race are incumbent Congressman Doug Lamborn and challengers Jeff Crank and Bentley Rayburn.

Bidlack has a doctorate in political science from the University of Michigan, and his campaign materials call him an expert on the Constitution and the country's Founding Fathers. His passion for U.S. history runs deep enough to include performances in which he portrays Alexander Hamilton.

Several speakers at the announcement, including Bidlack, acknowledged a Democrat will have a hard time winning in the 5th Congressional District. Republicans have held the seat since it was created in 1972. Just 21 percent of the district's 402,000 registered voters are Democrats, compared with 46 percent registered as Republicans.

After a bruising Republican primary in the 2006 election, Lamborn won a first term with 60 percent of the votes against Democrat Jay Fawcett.

Still, supporters said Bidlack can win.

"It's not impossible at all to win in the 5th Congressional District," said Patricia Waak, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party. She cited gains in other offices across the state and high interest in the Democratic contenders for president.

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