Bruce draws fire over fliers
DENVER - Rep. Douglas Bruce dropped campaign fliers questioning the credentials of his primary opponent on the office desks of most Republican representatives Tuesday, drawing the ire of several House leaders.
Bruce took the action just hours before Mark Waller, who won top line on the August primary ballot at last month's El Paso County Republican Assembly, showed up at the Capitol to learn about the legislative process and meet some of Denver's movers and shakers.
House rules do not prohibit distribution of campaign literature, but several high-ranking GOP legislators said that Bruce's actions violate the campaign-free spirit of the building and that they have never seen a House member promote themselves in such a way.
House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, said that it's a gray area, and that he simply discouraged Bruce from further campaigning in the building and asked him to avoid the appearance of impropriety rather than seeking some sort of punishment.
"I've never seen a comparison attack piece handed out at the Capitol," said Assistant Minority Leader David Balmer, R-Centennial. "It's definitely pushing the spirit of the rules that we should be here at the Capitol to do the people's business and not be involved in trying to convince people to vote one way or the other in elections."
Bruce, a first-year Republican from Colorado Springs, said that he checked with several staffers before he distributed the fliers about 7:15 a.m., and that he was told he could pass out any material if he didn't use staff resources or put the fliers on legislative-floor desks.
He scoffed at the notion that the Capitol is campaigning-free, noting that interest groups and even candidates have rallies on the Capitol steps often and hand out fliers.
"I didn't use one penny of state resources. None," Bruce said. "Now I'm doing what I was told I could do and now I'm told it's wrong? . . . This is stupid."
The four-page fliers are the same as those Bruce handed out at the assembly, featuring a letter, a cartoon and a comparison between himself and Waller in which he points out his longer party service and more frequent voting record.
Bruce said he distributed them because he heard that Waller was coming to solicit endorsements from Republicans and wanted to let fellow House members know why they might not want to back him in the race for the House District 15 nomination.
Waller denied that he was seeking endorsements, saying he came up with former GOP Sen. Ron May to observe how the Legislature and a House committee conducted business.
"I am surprised that my opponent would feel it's necessary to pass that out on a day I'm here," said Waller, an attorney and first-time office-seeker.
House Minority Leader Mike May, R-Parker, scoured House rules to see if any had been broken. He concluded: "We don't know whether it's an infraction or not because nobody else would be dumb enough to do it."
Bruce characterized the criticisms, which come after he was censured this session for kicking a photographer and removed from the veterans affairs committee for failing to vote on a resolution honoring veterans, as another attack on him by the political establishment.
He pointed out that legislators hang fliers from their past campaigns and plaster their cars with campaign bumper stickers.
"This is a very political place. How can you prevent people from saying things political?" Bruce said.
