Romanoff Under Fire Again for Sidestepping PAC Money Pledge ( CO 6th Congressional)

The Colorado Observer. ^ | August 9, 2013

[george76]

DENVER – A liberal ally may have cheered Democrat congressional candidate Andrew Romanoff’s commitment to reject contributions from political action committees (PACs) and special interest groups, but the former state lawmaker appears to be sidestepping that pledge by accepting money from high-profile lobbyists and fundraising “bundlers.”

T.Q. Houlton, a spokesman for the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC), blasted Romanoff, who faced similar criticism during his unsuccessful 2010 bid for the U.S. Senate.

“After a devastating electoral loss in the 2010 Senate primary, Romanoff is making it clear that he is just another washed up professional politician looking to make full-time campaigning his latest career,” said Houlton.

Critics point to Romanoff’s second quarter fundraising report, which reveals that a plurality of Romanoff’s contributions came from the legal industry, including white shoe firms like Patton Boggs, Brownstein Hyatt, Holland & Hart, Wilmer Hale, and Sherman and Howard.

It isn’t the first time the NRCC has taken aim at Romanoff for sidestepping his PAC money pledge.

In April, Houlton criticized Romanoff for taking money from “registered lobbyists, trial lawyers, corporate bigwigs and even the head of a special interest PAC,” during the first quarter.

That criticism apparently hasn’t dissuaded Romanoff, an attorney himself, from seeking contributions from within the legal-lobbying sector, which wields significant influence in both Colorado and Washington, DC.

...

“The bags of campaign cash from Washington special interests padding Andrew Romanoff’s bank account are even more proof that he will do anything to further his political career at the expense of Colorado’s interests,” Houlton concluded.

Neither the Romanoff campaign, nor the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee responded to requests for comment.

Romanoff is seeking to unseat U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman in the 6th Congressional District.

[Standing Wolf]

“The bags of campaign cash from Washington special interests padding Andrew Romanoff’s bank account are even more proof that he will do anything to further his political career at the expense of Colorado’s interests,” Houlton concluded.

That's exactly how the Colorado legislature and governorship ended up in the hands of the Democratic [sic] party during the 2012 election: lots of money from both the east coast and overseas.