Glenn Pulls In Campaign Donations In Run Against Bennet
By Shaun Boyd
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4)- Republican U.S. Senate candidate Darryl Glenn received a big infusion of money as the campaign enters the home stretch.
Between July and the end of September, he out-raised democratic incumbent Michael Bennet.
Glenn brought in $2.7 million to Bennet's $2.2 million. Overall, Bennet has far out-raised and outspent Glenn, but, Glenn says that fits his underdog status.
"All of my life I've been told no - that I was too poor, too short, too black. I enjoy it when people underestimate me," Glenn says in his new TV ad, which sums up his campaign in many ways.
Glenn came out of virtual obscurity to win the republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Colorado, out of field that at one time included 15 candidates. If elected, he would be one of only two black Republicans in the senate in 50 years.
In his ad, Glenn says "I understand the humiliation of being stopped for nothing other than driving while black but here's my commitment: I'm dedicated to healing the wounds between the police and minority communities."
Glenn says he also understands what it's like to grow up working two and three jobs to get by, "When you're sitting there looking at people and they're crying and they're talking about how they've lost 1,200 jobs because there's a war on coal essentially… and then you magnify that with what's going on with the Affordable Care Act. These are families that are struggling and they're begging to have a voice."
Glenn promises to reduce regulations like those in the Clean Power Plan and repeal Obamacare - pointing to rate hikes of more than 40 percent this year in parts of Colorado.
Sen. Ted Cruz - a staunch critic of the law - is a champion of Glenn's.
But Glenn suggested Cruz's role in shutting down the government over Obamacare wasn't the right move, "What I think should happen when you're talking about the entire Congress... I would say there's about 90 percent of things people can agree on. Why is it that we always wait until the last day and use partisan politics to shut down the government? What they should be doing is passing bills about the things that we agree on."
While Glenn once downplayed the importance of working across the aisle, he now says he'll work with any party that puts country first. A retired Lt. Colonel, he says he will put national security first.
"My priority is to repeal the Iran Nuclear Deal and vote to do that. I think it's extremely dangerous... you don't negotiate with terrorists."
The latest poll shows Glenn trailing Bennet by 18 points. But Glenn says he doesn't think the polls capture the real impact of his grassroots campaign. He says expect an upset Nov. 8.
"We've been breaking the odds and defying the odds the entire time and I think it's important to let the voters weigh in and I think you'll be shocked on election night."
Shaun Boyd is CBS4's political specialist. She's a veteran reporter with more than 25 years of experience. Follow her on Twitter @cbs4shaun.
