October 22, 2024 10:09 AM UTC

Adam Frisch Nabs Clutch Endorsement From Pueblo's Republican Mayor

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• by: Colorado Pols

As the Pueblo Chieftain’s James Bartolo reports, Democratic CO-03 candidate Adam Frisch just picked up a significant endorsement that could help swing voters in the district’s largest population center make up their minds:

Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham, a registered Republican, is endorsing Democratic candidate Adam Frisch in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District race.

Graham told the Chieftain that Frisch has demonstrated that he cares about Pueblo through many visits to the Steel City over the past few years. She praised his support for small businesses and a series of recent “ride-alongs” Frisch participated in with the Pueblo Police Department.

“I think that it’s really important when somebody is willing to see it firsthand and spend time in the department to see how they could possibly help to make changes for the community,” Graham said. “Our rep right now (Rep. Lauren Boebert) has pretty much disappeared and not had anything to do with Pueblo for quite some time.” [Pols emphasis]

The usefulness of Pueblo Mayor “Not That” Heather Graham’s endorsement can be summed up pretty easily. Frisch’s Republican opponent Jeff Hurd’s roots are across the state in Grand Junction. Pueblo is the largest city in the district as well as the largest concentration of Democratic voters. Mayor Graham’s endorsement reinforces these advantages for Frisch as well as creating a permissive environment for right-leaning independents and moderate Republicans in Pueblo to vote for Frisch.

Frisch needs every leg up he can get in this district that favored Republicans even accounting for exited-stage-left Rep. Lauren Boebert’s inherent weakness. Up against a more conventional opponent than he expected, Frisch has fought a much more conventional campaign of his own with a John Salazar-style moderate message that this endorsement helps legitimize. Of course, it hasn’t hurt Frisch to go into this race with millions of anti-Boebert dollars in the bank.

Mayor Graham is a Republican in charge of a Democratic city with upward political aspirations of her own. That makes this an endorsement you may hear about again in a different context.