Shift to the middle may not be convincing

DENVER - In running for the U.S. Senate, Democrat Mark Udall and Republican Bob Schaffer are, by necessity, running to the middle.

In his six years in Congress, ending in 2002, Schaffer earned a reputation as a hard-line conservative, voting more than 50 times with a small minority against bills funding wildlife conservation, national parks and foreign aid.

Udall, a member of the U.S. House since 1999, had been an unwavering ally of the environment at the expense of businesses.

That was no problem for Udall in representing the liberal, Boulder-based 2nd Congressional District or for Schaffer in his solidly Republican northern Colorado district.

In statewide contests, though, the winning strategy has been to run as a moderate, as Democrats Sen. Ken Salazar and Gov. Bill Ritter have shown in the most recent races for U.S. Senate and governor.

It's a blueprint Udall and Schaffer appear to be following.

Schaffer, a former energy firm executive, now speaks favorably of renewable fuels and has softened his rhetoric on social issues.

Udall has gradually moved to the center, voting with the country's most prominent business organization more than half the time and the country's largest peace advocacy group less than half the time.

Udall says his record shows his independent streak; Schaffer says his shows he is willing to buck both parties.

Denver-based political consultant Eric Sondermann said each has to worry about his past catching up to him.

"I think both of these candidates risk having their run to the middle look disingenuous," Sondermann said.

Shifting priorities

Udall has always been known as a conservationist and environmentalist, traits that play well with many Coloradans. But he was not considered a big supporter of the military and business interests.

In 2003 he scored 32 percent on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce congressional scorecard, opposing a $350 billion job-growth and taxcut package, medical liability changes and class-action lawsuit reform. In 2007, he got a 60 percent rating from the group, after backing a small-business tax-relief bill and a measure exempting small companies from the most costly requirements of a 2002 corporate reform act.

Udall, the former chief executive of the Outward Bound outdoor school for 10 years, said he has always felt himself to be an independent-minded pro-business legislator who has supported "responsible" bills.

But Pete Havel, the chamber's regional director for congressional and public affairs, said Udall still opposes tax relief and free trade and is a strong supporter of organized labor. "He's not really going to be there when business needs him consistently," Havel said.

Udall has gone the opposite way on peace issues, says Rebecca Griffn, political director of Peace Action West, which gave him a 100 percent rating in 2003 but just a 45 percent mark last year.

In 2003, he backed a number of pro-peace initiatives that failed, including an attempt to reduce the budget for nuclear-weapons development and an attempt to cut money for Colombian counter-drug activities and increase funding for HIV and AIDS programs. In 2007, even as the war in Iraq grew more unpopular, Udall refused to tie continued funding to a withdrawal date or to cut funds for missile defense.

Udall, who once supported the creation of a federal Department of Peace, obtained a seat on the House Armed Services Committee in 2005.

"The world changed on 9/11. Colorado changed on 9/11. I changed on 9/11," he said.

Bucking consensus

No one can accuse Bob Schaffer of moderating his stances for political expediency while in Congress.

Known as one of the staunchest conservatives in Washington, he now describes himself as a "common-sense" candidate.

Schaffer once referred to the "Communist legacy" in public education during a speech on the House floor. Now, he pushes ideas like increasing investment in renewable energy and expanding access to health care.

Schaffer does not shy from the record, even when opponents say it is on the fringe.

"If their point of reference is other people in Washington, then I say, ‘So what,'" he says of his critics. "You've got an institution in Washington (Congress) that has something like an 11 percent approval rating. I hope to be out of the mainstream with those clowns."

Schaffer was one of 15 or fewer ‘no' votes on paying for restoration of Chesapeake Bay, providing financial help for Pacific salmon restoration and funding preservation of the Asian elephant.

He also voted against adding land to parks and creating the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in southeast Colorado.
Opponents say it's not just the bills on which Schaffer loses in lopsided fashion that show his extremism.

NARAL Policy Director Donna Crane cited Schaffer's opposition to a successful bill to include contraception in federal employees' health coverage.

League of Conservation Voters Senior Vice President Tony Massaro noted Schaffer's support of a 1998 measure that would have prohibited the Environmental Protection Agency from talking about global warming. It passed the House but died in the Senate.

"Is that extreme? We think it is, and we'll leave it up to Colorado voters to decide if it is," Massaro said.

UDALL'S RATINGS

Congressman Mark Udall has shifted his stances on some issues in the eyes of several interest groups that grade membes of Congress based on their votes. Here is a look at where Udall stood in 2003 versus last year with a few organizations:

- Cato Institute Center for Trade Policy Studies, 90%*, 42%** (Cato gives grades based on the entire session, so marks represent 2003-04 and 2007-08.)

- Club for Growth, 4%* (355th), 12%** (251st) (Rating is from 2005, the first year that Club for Growth began scoring Congress.)

- Peace Action West, 100%*, 45%*

- U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 32%*, 60%*

* ORGANIZATION 2003 GRADE
** ORGANIZATION 2007 GRADE

SCHAFFER'S VOTES

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Bob Schaffer has been accused of being an extremist by some opponents. Here are a few examples of votes from Schaffer's congressional career where he was among a very small minority of representatives to oppose bills:
- 2000: Opposed creation of the Great Sand Dunes National Park, which passed 366-34.

- 2000: Opposed extending the program featuring state logos on quarters to American territories, including Puerto Rico, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. It passed 377-6.

- 2001: Opposed a pilot program to inform consumers whether products were made in America, which passed 407-3.

- 2001: Opposed the No Child Left Behind Act to create national educational standards, which passed 384-45.

- 2001: Opposed a bill to provide financial assistance for Pacific salmon conservation and habitat restoration, which passed 418-6.

- 2001: Opposed the Help America Vote Act, designed to eliminate problems from the 2000 election, which passed 357-48.