October 29, 2010 07:19 PM UTC

Party loyalty? Not for one well-known Denver Dem

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• by: LoDoVoter

Is party loyalty really all that important on down-ticket races next week? For at least one well known Denver Democrat the answer seems to be a very loud No. This week, one-time Hickenlooper campaign manager and ’08 Convention COO Paul Lhevine recorded a robocall urging voters to support Republican Christine Mastin who is challenging Democrat Daniel Kagan in HD-3.

In a year that has control of the State House potentially up for grabs, it seems to me we need to be pulling together as a party to make sure we hold every seat we can. The next legislative session will be busy – fighting to keep Colorado’s economy turning around while they continue to deal with the mess of TABOR not to mention redistricting. It was good to learn that House Speaker Terrance Carroll stepped in with a robo response to Lhevine, sending out a robo for Kagan the next day.  

So what would we get if Dems followed Lhevine’s wishes and voted for Mastin?

From the Englewood Herald: http://coloradocommunitynewspa…

Our state Legislature last session killed businesses and jobs, making it more expensive than ever to start and keep a business running here.

…

I will work to create a stable and productive business environment in Colorado, creating jobs. I will work for a lean, efficient government and advocate that the entire legislature redefine its relationship to money – it does not grow on trees – it is taken from you.

Mastin’s own campaign website – http://www.christinemastin.com – doesn’t go into much detail on the issues but what is there is clear Republican speak. She thinks Colorado isn’t unfriendly to businesses and opposes the Healthcare Reform thinking it should instead be done at the state level.

Lhevine’s own words in the robocall suggest his support of Mastin is driven largely by her views on education reform.

Hello, this is Paul Lhevine, former Chief Operating Officer of the 2008 Democratic Convention.

In a couple of minutes we’ll begin a live telephone town hall with neighbors from all over the district who are interested in talking about Denver’s schools and education in Colorado. We will be joined on the call by statehouse candidate Christine Mastin.

So please just stay on the line and join our live conversation. You WILL be afforded the opportunity to ask questions. If you don’t have the time to listen in tonight, please visit Christine’s website at Christine Mastin.com for more information on why I’m supporting her.

Mastin is endorsed by Stand for Children who wrote:

“Christine Mastin, a mother of two, is a strong proponent of ensuring that Colorado has only the best teachers and principals educating our children. She supports equitable funding for education and would like to see educators have greater autonomy in how they run their schools.”

http://www.educationchampions….

Most would say Republican Mastin has about as much chance of defeating Kagan as Fallon’s chances of beating DeGette which makes Lhevine’s decision to campaign for Mastin an interesting move.  Maybe there is nothing more to the support than his belief that education reform is the key issue and that Mastin is the right voice on education reform. Some I’ve talked to have suggested it’s more calculated and tied to Lhevine advising Romer in his impending run for Mayor where appealing to Republicans and moderate Dems could give Romer an edge in a crowded field (Romer is also a vocal supporter of Stand for Children but as far as I know has not publicly thrown in with Republican Mastin in the race).

I’m working on a separate diary I’ll try to get up this weekend on education reform, the growing wave of support behind the DFER, Stand for Children, Waiting for Superman movement and what I see as a lack of a middle-ground in the public discourse between that and the hardline teachers’ union supporters.

What do you think of Lhevine’s public support of Mastin? Would you cross party lines and encourage others to do the same over a single issue?