COLORADO SPRINGS — With three weeks to go until ballots are sent out in the all-mail primary election that will determine who will represent the 5th Congressional District, Robert Blaha, a boisterous businessman whose deep pockets have made him a viable challenger, says he has asked incumbent U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn to a debate on more than 16 different occasions.

Will they debate, or won’t they?

Lamborn’s response has been, for the most part, unresponsive.

His spokeswoman, Catherine Mortensen, said Monday: “Mr. Blaha has said he doesn’t have a problem with the congressman’s voting record. As far as we’re concerned, there’s nothing to debate. Lamborn is not interested in a debate over personalities.”

In past primaries, the three-term Republican congressman faced several challengers but never a one-on-one matchup.

When it comes to congressional contests in the 5th District, November is irrelevant, because no Democrat or independent has ever held the seat in this über-conservative central pocket of the state.

Blaha says Lamborn owes it to his constituents to debate him. “One of the tenets that makes America so great is that we value the opportunity to have a battle of ideas and to elect the best possible representation of those ideas,” he said.

Read article on Denver Post site.

Date: May 10, 2012 Contact: Ashlee Springer at 719-930-3964
BLAHA RESPONDS TO LAMBORN’S ATTACK ON LOCAL BUSINESS

Denver Post checks the facts; Lamborn’s ads “lean deceptive”

Colorado Springs, CO – Robert Blaha, a conservative Republican candidate for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, announced today the launch of his “Lamborn’s Desperate Attacks” radio and television campaign in response to incumbent Congressman Doug Lamborn’s recent barrage of false attacks.

“I’ve been in business for thirty-five years and can handle when Doug Lamborn personally attacks me.  However, the Congressman crossed the line when he attacked our local community bank. The Denver Post gave the ad a ‘leans deceptive’ rating for its ‘misuse of data and playing with semantics.’   It is pretty clear that Congressman Lamborn is so desperate to win that he’s willing to attack a rock-solid local jobs provider,” said Robert Blaha.

Watch the TV commercial here.

Listen to the radio commercial here.

Read the Denver Post article here.

For facts regarding the new ad campaign, visit www.TheRealDougLamborn.com.

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From: Robert@RobertForCongress.com
Subject: Lamborn Attacks Local Bank with Deceptive Ad

Dear Friend,

This week Congressman Lamborn crossed the line with a vicious attack against a locally owned community bank I co-founded, and where I serve as vice-chairman of the board. Congressman Lamborn put his own re-election first, disregarded the facts, and chose to knowingly demonize the bank, its employees, and its customers.

What Doug Lamborn doesn’t care to understand is that the bank, its employees, and its customers are important job creators that fuel our local economy.

The Denver Post called his ad “deceptive,” said it was full of misused data, and accused Lamborn of playing with semantics. Read the article here.

These attacks should be expected from a career politician with a long history of spewing half-truths and innuendo on anyone who dares challenge “his” seat. But that doesn’t mean we should put up with it.

Over 100 business leaders, customers, and hard-working citizens in our district have signed a public letter, outraged that Doug Lamborn would lash out against a respected local business in his own district. Click here to view, and if you haven’t already, add your name to the list of citizens who are fed up with the Congressman’s games.

Thank you for joining with me to take back our country from career politicians like Doug Lamborn.

Together in freedom,

Robert Blaha

The campaign vitriol leading up to the Republican primary for the 5th Congressional District on June 26 is reaching new levels on some TV and radio ads.

In “Honor,” the 31-second version of the above ad that aired on television, incumbent U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn levels two heavy-handed accusations against challenger Robert Blaha.

The first claim:
“Eight of his businesses ruled delinquent by Colorado for failure to file an annual business report 26 times.”

Our search of the Colorado Secretary of State’s business records found that only one of his businesses – Human Capital Associates, LLC – has a delinquency status, and that company was formally dissolved in April 2012.

The term “delinquency” sounds harsh, but as Andrew Cole – spokesman for the Secretary of State – explains, it isn’t always a grievous mark.

“If you’re delinquent, it doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” Cole said. “You register a business and a year later you have to file an annual report stating you’re still a business.”

He says it is really in the business’ best interest to file because it is basically just a self-proclamation of existence.

“I don’t know why you wouldn’t file,” Cole said, but, “Sometimes it means they’ve gone out of business.”

That is actually (but not technically) what happened with Human Capital Associates, LLC.

In 2001, the company restructured and became a different company – HCA, LLC. The new company maintained ownership of the previous name for branding and licensing purposes, but no longer did business under the former name. Human Capital Associates, LLC’s last annual report filing, which is now called a periodic report, was September 2005. According to Blaha’s campaign team, the company stopped conducting any business as Human Capital Associates, LLC in 2006. And while the company stopped registering with the state in 2006, they did not voluntarily dissolve until last month.

Blaha’s campaign manager, Tamra Farah, says that “these ads show a stunning ignorance on how business works.”

“Unless you’ve been involved as an entrepreneur, something can look worse than it is,” Farah said.

Our search found only 22 instances where Blaha was late in filing his periodic reports for his businesses.

“As soon as you file you’re back in good standing,” Cole said.

His businesses, not including the recently dissolved one, are currently all in “good” standing with the state and are up-to-date with their reports.

Claim Two:
“The bank Blaha co-founded ranked among the worst in the region, fined by the FDIC.”

The data they are citing are from the unofficial commercial rating site, BankRate.com, and reference a 2010 rating. Lamborn’s anti-Blaha website claims, Integrity Bank & Trust, is currently ranked with a 2-star, but when you click on the link, it actually has a 3-star rating, which is defined as having “a generally satisfactory financial condition.” Either way, it is important to note that this site is not from an official regulatory agency.

As for the FDIC claim, Farah said it was an isolated incident by one bank employee.

“There was a civil penalty for not completing one form completely, and I don’t want to diminish that, but it is a clerical error and is fairly routine,” Farah said.

We are giving this campaign ad a “leans deceptive” rating for its misuse of data and playing with semantics.

Read article on Denver Post site.

Date: May 7, 2012 Contact: Ashlee Springer at 719-930-3964
THE 3 KINDS OF POLITICAL LIES: LIES, MORE LIES, AND DOUG LAMBORN CAMPAIGN ATTACKS

BLAHA CAMPAIGN STRIKES BACK WITH NEW TV AD HIGHLIGHTING LAMBORN’S LONG RECORD OF OUTRAGEOUS AND UNTRUE CAMPAIGN ATTACKS

Colorado Springs, CO – Robert Blaha, conservative Republican candidate for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, fired back at incumbent Congressman Doug Lamborn for his outrageous  attacks on Blaha’s business record, saying the attacks were “a predictable act of desperation from a career politician with a long history of spewing outrageous and untrue negative attacks against anyone who dares question him.”

Blaha released a TV advertisement called “Unhinged” which prominently highlights a number of the best-known moments when Lamborn leveled acid attacks on friends and adversaries alike.

The ad prominently features the threatening messages that Congressman Lamborn left on the voicemail of a constituent who wrote a letter to the editor questioning Lamborn campaign contributors.

It also features Lamborn shouting down a questioner at a political debate last cycle.

Click here to see the new Blaha ad.

Click here to see the story about Lamborn’s threatening voice mails.

“In Colorado politics there are three well-known types of lies: lies, more lies, and Doug Lamborn campaign attacks,” said Tamra Farah, Blaha’s campaign manager. “We will respond specifically to Lamborn’s latest round of campaign slander in short order, but we also want to remind voters to consider the source. This is the same Doug Lamborn who absolutely slandered Jeff Crank in two different elections, the same Doug Lamborn who came unhinged in a high profile debate, and the same Doug Lamborn who is so cavalier that he threatened a constituent who had the audacity to question him in a letter to the editor.”

The advertisement also features quotes from prominent local conservatives, including beloved former Congressman Joel Hefley and former state Senate Republican leader Andy McElhany, who in previous campaigns have sharply criticized Lamborn for his outrageous campaign tactics.

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From: Robert@RobertForCongress.com
Subject: Permanent Political Class

Dear Friend,

Permanent Political Class – It’s not a term for which I can take credit, but it is certainly resonating throughout the nation. Recently, a gentleman from Wisconsin told me he is almost 25 years old and has had the same senator his entire life! The People who make up the permanent political class have usurped the ingenious system of “citizen-legislators” that our founding fathers wisely designed. Those who participate in the current practices of government find them to be completely acceptable. As we all know, the real scandal in Washington is not what is illegal; it is what is legal.

The members of the permanent political class have developed their own insular community under a set of rules they’ve established and operate under. Taxpayer abuses are consistently swept under the rug as a matter of practice. Mailing campaign fliers on the taxpayer dime, loading bills with earmarks that cost taxpayer billions but benefit campaign donors, special interest groups taking expensive “official” trips with family members, and other egregious acts are dismissed because “it’s just how Washington works.”

Congressman Lamborn has been a leading earmarker of the Colorado delegation for the past several years. He has handed out truckloads of money to those who have bankrolled his campaigns. Why would he do that? Because “it’s just how Washington works.”

I won’t stand for this type of corruption in Washington. I have already signed a no earmarks pledge, and a pledge to support and enact term limits. Congress needs to end the era of corruption and earmarking and usher in an era of service and transparency.

The people of the 5th District have had enough. They’ve had enough of the spending, of the partisan bickering, and of the permanent political class who have run our government like their own private fiefdom for far too long. It is time to put an end to the 535-person “members only” club called Congress, that has voted itself kings and queens while the rest of us foot the bill.

We know that we cannot replace all of the members of the permanent political class, but we can start with one.  That is how we will win our country back — one election at a time.

We would be honored to have you join our team by making phone calls, walking neighborhoods, and donating financially.  Click here to lend your support to taking our country back.  We only have until June!  Join us!

Stay tuned for other updates and appearances.  Remember to follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Together in freedom,

Robert Blaha

P.S. Click here to register to vote, change your party affiliation, or update your voter record.

Date: April 30, 2012 Contact: Ashlee Springer at 719-930-3964
LAMBORN FUNNELS MILLIONS IN TAX DOLLARS TO CAMPAIGN DONORS

Blaha responds by launching “Earmark Madness” Media Campaign

Robert Blaha, Republican candidate for Congress in Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, announced on Monday the launch of a new television and radio campaign targeting incumbent Congressman Doug Lamborn’s record of congressional earmark spending- a record that includes millions in taxpayer dollars that Lamborn funneled to some of his biggest campaign contributors.

The ad campaign, entitled “Earmark Madness”, includes a radio commercial featuring nationally-recognized conservative pundits Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck expressing their disdain for earmarks. Ads will run in the 5th Congressional District throughout the next few weeks.

Listen to the radio commercial here.  View the television commercial here.

Lamborn, a leading earmarker for the past several years, ironically made his conservative voting record the centerpiece of his re-election campaign, arguing that it is his record that sets him apart from his cohorts in Washington.  In the ads, however, the Blaha campaign points to the Congressman’s generous earmarking record as evidence that Lamborn is not the conservative he claims to be.

“The Congressman asserts that he is a rock solid conservative, but his eye-popping record of earmarking for big dollar donors tells a very different story.  The Congressman’s earmark madness is neither conservative, nor right, ” said Blaha For Congress Campaign Manager Tamra Farah.

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From: Robert@RobertForCongress.com
Subject: Congressman Lamborn, You’re Fired!

Dear Friend,

During this campaign I have been highlighting some of the very significant distinctions between myself and our incumbent Congressman. Nowhere do we find those differences more prevalent than in the area of results. I have been a businessman and entrepreneur for the past four decades, and in my world if you do not produce results, your family doesn’t eat. I suspect your life has been similar in many ways.

In his nearly six years in Congress, Congressman Lamborn has been the lead sponsor on 37 bills, none of which have become law. It is tempting to place blame on Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid. However, in the same period of time, 179 Republican sponsored bills have made it through the process and been enacted into law.

Career politicians feel entitled to their jobs, despite results – or lack thereof. The fact is, Congressman Lamborn has been completely ineffective when it comes to articulating conservative principles and translating them into laws.

We need more than just a vote in Congress – we need a strong voice. The values that people hold are reflected in the way they live their lives. I have created real jobs, worked with people I don’t always agree with, and still managed to produce tangible results. Voting is not enough; we need someone with a life history of conservatism and measured successes.

Come join us as we talk to voters in our District and spread the word about our campaign to bring business expertise and leadership to Washington. Please click here to get involved and help take back our country.

Together in freedom,

Robert Blaha

P.S. Everything we release will be based on facts, truths and published regularly to The Real Doug Lamborn.

COLO. SPRINGS — Casting himself as a conservative outsider and business leader, Robert Blaha is picking up steam in his campaign against Rep. Doug Lamborn ahead of this year’s Republican primary.

Based on a poll the Blaha campaign commissioned, the challenger is within striking distance of Lamborn, a three-term incumbent from Colorado Springs.

The results of the survey from Magellan Strategies showed Lamborn garnering 43 percent of the vote among likely GOP primary voters and Blaha 38 percent, while 19 percent of likely voters were undecided. A late February poll from the Republican polling firm found that Blaha trailed by 31 percentage points.

Tamra Farah, Blaha’s campaign manager, said his campaign has received “a great resounding response from people” of the conservative 5th congressional district, which lies in the center of the state.

Lamborn did not dispute that the political novice has made inroads with the district’s GOP primary voters. The results of the survey, he said in an interview, reflected “a momentary blip in the polls.”

Lamborn expressed confidence he would prevail in the contest, noting he has yet to run any political ads. “He’s sprinting, but this election cycle (is going to take the equivalent) of a thousand years,” Lamborn said.

Lamborn said he doubted the accuracy of the poll, suggesting that Blaha is not within striking distance of defeating him in the primary. The survey of 666 likely Republican primary voters in the district was conducted April 5 and 9 using automated phone calls. Its margin of error was plus or minus 3.7 percent.

While political scientists prefer a larger sample size of 1,200 participants, Magellan Strategies’ CEO defended his survey. “Seven hundred (participants) is going to get what you need. It’s solid,” David Flaherty said. Flaherty conceded that polling 1,200 likely voters would reduce the margin of error to 2.8 percent, but referring to the costliness of conducting a poll, he said his survey was more cost effective.

Ashlee Springer, a media relations spokesperson with the Blaha campaign, said participants were asked a number of questions about the race, including “If the primary were held today, who would you vote for, Robert Blaha or Doug Lamborn?” She said Blaha’s campaign controlled the content of the other questions about the contest.

Blaha is different from challengers in recent primary contests because his main charge against the incumbent is not ideological or age-related. (Both men are 57). Blaha’s main charge is a pragmatic one. As a co-founder of a bank and founder of a business-management consulting firm, Blaha argued that Lamborn is an ineffective voice for conservatives.

“On the issues, there are virtually no differences,” Farah said, noting Blaha’s pro-life position and support for traditional marriage, gun rights, and state’s rights. “The differences are in experience and background … Doug Lamborn is a career politician who’s been in the state legislature and Congress … If I was a business person, it comes down to who has the most skills at the job. It’s not enough to just be a conservative. We need him to do something, and Robert Blaha has a plan.”

Lamborn suggested Blaha’s charge is a smokescreen. “Having a conservative in Washington is part of the answer and not part of the problem,” he said.

Yet forces in the 2012 election cycle have weakened incumbents’ arguments that they should be re-elected because of their ideological fealty.

Congress’ approval ratings are hovering in the low teens, suggesting that voters are impatient and upset about lawmakers’ ability to address the nation’s problems. In addition, the Campaign for Primary Accountability, a non-partisan super political action committee, has helped oust incumbent House members in southern Ohio and northern Illinois this year.

Curt Ellis, a spokesperson for the super PAC, said the organization is considering whether to throw some of its weight behind Blaha. “Mr. Blaha fits many of the criteria that we’re looking for,” Ellis said, noting that the challenger is an outsider and businessman.

Read entire article.

DENVER — The Republican race for Congressional District 5 is now officially a two-man race.

At the 5th Congressional District assembly on Friday, incumbent U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn stomped challenger Doug Bergeron, a Colorado Springs insurance salesman, 532 to 84. His only primary opponent now is businessman Robert Blaha, who petitioned onto the primary ballot last month.

Many of the 626 delegates who voted in the morning at the Colorado Convention Center stuck around for several hours to hear vote results for the congressional primary, and the congressman’s supporters cheered when the tally was announced.

Still, Lamborn faces the first substantive one-on-one campaign in his congressional career.

When he was first elected in 2006, he beat a bevy of GOP would-be congressmen, after longtime U.S. Rep. Joel Hefley announced he was retiring. In 2008 he beat two other candidates. In 2010, he had no primary race, and easily won re-election in the heavily Republican district.

But if delegates at the assembly are any indication, Lamborn doesn’t have much to worry about. Dozens wore Doug Lamborn campaign stickers, and even many who didn’t said the incumbent is the likely victor, mainly because of his voting record.

“Lamborn has the upper hand,” said 28-year-old Matt Rogers, a Colorado Springs property manager. “It’s his track record. He’s done very well by conservatives.”

The congressman made that argument to delegates Friday morning during a speech in which he painted himself as one of the most conservative members of the U.S. House of Representatives. And though he didn’t mention Blaha by name, the congressman slammed him as an opportunist, and said he was misrepresenting his record.

Blaha has criticized Lamborn repeatedly, calling him ineffective and a weak leader. One of his mantras is that Lamborn is “0 for 37,” referring to the number of bills Lamborn has sponsored. Lamborn has rejected that as deceptive.

“Effectiveness is not only passing bills. It’s also killing bad bills,” Lamborn said, to a roomful of applause.

Blaha said after the results were in that he’s “thrilled” that Bergeron is out of the race.
He said Republicans in the district are fed up with the congressman.

“I’ve heard that same speech five or six times before. It’s not very inspiring,” Blaha said. “If I was a voter, I’d be pretty depressed.”

He has a shot, said Monument resident Bruce Nygren.

“One of the things that attracts me to him is his business experience,” Nygren said. “I’m keeping an open mind. I like the idea of a little bit of turnover.”

Read entire article.