December 29, 2008 05:18 PM UTC

2008 Top Ten #8: The Schaffer/Denali Incident

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• by: Colorado Pols

Several of the top Colorado political stories this year feature the Senate race between Mark Udall and Bob Beauprez Schaffer. Certainly the most amusing one began here after a rather striking problem was discovered in a new Schaffer TV spot by our diligent readers, as reported in May by the Rocky Mountain News:

They say faith can move mountains. Apparently, so can political campaigns.

But when a television ad for the Republican Bob Schaffer’s campaign for U.S. Senate mistakenly switched Mount McKinley in Alaska for Pikes Peak in Colorado, the consequences can be rugged and steep.

“I am very frustrated,” said Schaffer campaign manager Dick Wadhams, who admitted the mistake and said a corrected ad will be on the air by Wednesday night…

The Web site ColoradoPols posted the discovery, leading several activists to contend that the error says more about Schaffer than his media consultant.

“For Schaffer, who comes from Ohio, to not know the most important mountain in Colorado is just foolish,” said Mike Huttner, executive director of the liberal group Progress Now Action…

“I think the overall message isn’t distracted at all,” Wadhams said. “The message is still good.”

The Rocky also supplied a helpful diagram (after the jump). To the extent that there was a “message” to be gotten from this episode, we’d say the voters did, loud and clear: when you’re a cheesy schmuck from Ohio, mountains all kind of look the same.