Republican Dave McCormick announced his bid for a vulnerable Senate seat in a battleground state on Wednesday. McCormick, a retired Army colonel, said he was running to “bring back common-sense conservative solutions” to his state. McCormick is running in Colorado, where a recent series of controversies has left Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) vulnerable to a Republican challenge in 2020.
McCormick, a former infantry and military intelligence officer, said he was ready to bring his skills and experiences to the Senate and start looking after Colorado’s interests. “I’ve served my country and state, I know Washington isn’t the answer to every problem, and I’m running for the U.S. Senate because I know I can make a difference here at home,” he said.
McCormick said the issues he plans to focus on if elected are health care, veterans’ affairs and public lands. He said he was “committed to protecting Coloradans’ access to affordable health care” and wanted to make sure veterans were “properly cared for.” He also said he would work to protect public lands and prevent exploitive mining practices.
McCormick promised to be a “fiscal conservative who knows how to make every dollar count” and to focus on bipartisan, compromise-driven solutions. He said his mission was to “end the gridlock in Washington and put Colorado first.”
McCormick is the third major Republican candidate to enter the 2020 Senate race in Colorado, after state Sen. Tim Neville and businessman Robert Blaha. Democrats have denounced McCormick’s campaign as a sign of Republicans’ desperation.
