Lamborn chief of staff said to have pressured cancellation of final CO-5 GOP debate

The final 5th Congressional District Republican primary debate, scheduled for this week, was canceled by the organizing group's national office after receiving a call from U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn's congressional chief of staff, according to the group's ex-president.

The national executive director of the group, though, called the accusation "a flat-out lie."

Lamborn had canceled attending the debate, scheduled for Friday by the Colorado Springs chapter of Coalition for a Conservative Majority, said Kyle Fisk, who resigned this week as chapter president over the issue. Primary opponents Jeff Crank and Bentley Rayburn had agreed to attend.

The CCM chapter had rescheduled the debate for last Monday after Lamborn's cancellation with only Crank and Rayburn.

But under pressure from Lamborn Chief of Staff Robert McCreary, the national CCM office told the local chapter to cancel the debate on the grounds that holding a debate without Lamborn would be inappropriate, as it would indicate CCM's support for the other two candidates, Fisk said.

The result, Fisk said, is that, whether intentionally or not, "they actually ended up having the perception of supporting Doug Lamborn."

But CCM national executive director Chris Perkins said Fisk's allegations were "a flat-out lie," saying neither Lamborn nor anyone connected with him lobbied CCM to cancel the debate.

As a 501(c)4, CCM can't endorse political candidates. Perkins said the group's legal counsel therefore advised him to not hold the debate unless all of the candidates could attend.

Asked whether McCreary had contacted Perkins about canceling the debate, Lamborn spokesperson Christine Mortensen would only release a statement stating that "Congressman Lamborn has consistently questioned the value of debating opponents who agree with him and his voting record on all the major issues. He remains skeptical.

"Congressman Lamborn has always been widely and readily available to constituents -- through phone, e-mail, letters and radio and tv call-in programs," the statement continued. "Congressman Lamborn is only interested in talking about the issues -- not personalities."  

Lamborn has not attended any primary debates this election cycle.

Former U.S. Rep. Joel Hefley - Lamborn's predecessor who Crank worked for as chief of staff -- expressed "utter disgust" with Lamborn's campaign tactics in an e-mail.

Hefley noted he had refrained from "intervening" with the primary race until now, but said the CCM action and a series of anti-Crank ads run by Lamborn forced his hand.

"Neither these tactics nor the intervention from the likes of Tom DeLay have any place in Colorado politics," Hefley said in an e-mail.

CCM was founded earlier this year by, among others, former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas). The group works to build grassroots conservative movements.

Crank spokesperson Amber Glus said Crank still went to the scheduled event to answer questions from people who hadn't heard it was canceled.

"(Crank) has continued to feel like Doug Lamborn is hiding from voters, hiding from his record," Glus said. "Over and over again, he's been given the opportunity -- ample time -- to go and talk to his constituents and the voters who are about to decide if he deserves to be rehired. And he continuously runs from that opportunity."

Asked for comment, Rayburn manager Mike Hesse said: "I hate to say it but everybody's got their connections and everybody's got to use them in this election."

Hesse said Crank supporters have also pulled strings, referring in particular to a recent commentary by El Paso County GOP Chair Greg Garcia criticizing ads by Rayburn and Lamborn. Garcia and other El Paso GOP leaders have been accused of favoring Crank in the 5th District race.

"It's amusing that Crank’s whining about this when he’s playing the same game," Hesse said. "Get over it."