October 25, 2014 10:07 AM UTC

Rand Paul Did Not Appear at Denver Event

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• by: Jason Salzman

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky did not appear in Denver this week for the Colorado Renewal Project's "Rediscovering God in America" event in Westminster, despite widely distributed promotional materials stating that the Kentucky Senator would be in attendance as a "special guest."

Paul was never planning to come to Colorado at all, Paul's press office emailed me Friday, referring to organizers of the event.

"That was an error on their part," wrote Paul spokesperson Sergio Gor.

Paul's visit to Colorado appears to have been organized by evangelical political operative David Lane, who organizes meetings between Republican presidential contenders and pastors in swing states. Lane is associated with the American Renewal Project, which advocates for more involvement by Christians in politics.

Numerous efforts get a comment from Lane or any organizer of the Colorado event were not successful. It was not clear who sponsored Colorado's pastor event this week, but similar events in the past have ties to Colorado for Family Values and the Christian Family Alliance of Colorado.

Paul's visit to Colorado raised eyebrows because Colorado senatorial candidate Cory Gardner has been telling reporters that there is "no federal personhood bill"–and Paul is the unabashed sponsor of a federal personhood bill, called the Life at Conception Act.

Last year, Gardner cosponsored the House version of Paul's legislation, also called the Life at Conception Act, which would ban all abortion, even for rape, as well as common forms of birth control.

Paul appears to have attended one of Lane's conferences for pastors last month in South Carolina, along with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who's been a repeated speaker at Lane's "Pastors and Pews" events this year.

“We have a constituency that we’re mobilizing. My goal is to restore America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and reestablish a Christian culture," Lane told U.S. News' David Catanese in September.

"Huckabee’s done maybe every one," Lane told Catanese. "He’s been in 10 or 11 states with me. But I invite all of them. I’m an honest broker."