September 13, 2016 11:40 AM UTC

Darryl Glenn: Worst Statewide Candidate in Colorado History

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• by: Colorado Pols

El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn is a terrible candidate for the U.S. Senate. This should come as no surprise to anybody who has watched Glenn sputter along despite his relatively-easy victory in the June Primary, but Glenn is approaching an entirely new level of political ineptitude.

Move over, Bob Beauprez (2006) and Scott McInnis (2010). Darryl Glenn is about to claim the title of “Worst Statewide Candidate in Colorado History.”

In an interview with Rocky Mountain Public Radio on Saturday following the Club 20 debates, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reporter Charles Ashby tried to explain why Glenn is on his way to a potentially record-setting defeat in November:

This year’s been a little weird in terms of Darryl Glenn. We’ve hardly seen him at all. In fact, this is only the second time I’ve known him to be out here, and the first time during the actual race with him against Bennet as the nominee. [Pols emphasis]

I’ve still yet to get on the mailing list for the press people for Darryl Glenn. They don’t seem to have a campaign. If they do, it’s one or two people. I know he hasn’t raised a lot of money. And I think that explains a lot why he’s down in the polls…. People like to see the candidates. They want to see them face-to-face.

Glenn has struggled mightily as the GOP nominee for Senate, and while establishment Republicans haven’t given him much help, it’s also true that Glenn has done virtually nothing to earn that support. Glenn struggles to raise money, is completely inept at discussing important issues, and has been unable to capitalize on major opportunities (such as his speaking role at the Republican National Convention).

It’s important to note here that Glenn has had plenty of chances to grow his campaign. While establishment Republicans may have written him off early, Glenn still managed to pick up major right-wing endorsements as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in third-party advertising support. Glenn never received any real support from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), but he still had more help from outside groups than any other Colorado Republican in 2016 not named Mike Coffman.

Glenn is among the least media-savvy candidates we’ve ever seen in such a high-profile race, and that’s really saying something when you consider the likes of Beauprez and McInnis. Glenn’s bumbling responses turn minor stories into significant controversies. He is dour and unlikable in interviews. And he is arrogant enough that he is now refusing to even speak to most media outlets — even though his underfunded campaign desperately needs earned media attention.

We wrote in this space that Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet secured his own re-election when Glenn somehow emerged from a crowded and incompetent field of Republican Senate candidates in June, but we had no idea how accurate that would prove. We weren’t alone in surmising that Glenn wasn’t going to come close to beating Bennet in 2016. It would have been impossible to predict the depth of Glenn’s awfulness as a candidate, however. He doesn’t raise money. He doesn’t talk to reporters. He doesn’t even really spend time on the campaign trail.

Barring some sort of political miracle in the next 8 weeks, Darryl Glenn will go down as the worst statewide candidate in modern Colorado history. You’re welcome, Bob Beauprez.