Sharf hopes unaffiliated vote will help him win in Dem-heavy HD-6

Joshua Sharf, a longtime political blogger who won the 6th state House District Republican nomination Tuesday, has found being inside the political arena is a lot different than it seems from an outside viewpoint.

"When you're looking at a campaign from the outside, you consider well-considered and well-thought-out intent in everything that everyone does," Sharf said. "When you're looking at it from the inside, you realize that much of what you're doing is what you're able to do at that time, so you're always setting priorities.

"Then you realize that everything is not always part of the strategy: a lot of times it's just what you're able to do that day, whether that's walking or talking to people or making calls," he said.

Sharf handily won the HD-6 GOP nomination Tuesday over professional translator and Palestinian activist Rima Sinclair.

Sharf, an Orthodox Jew, entered the race after being piqued by comments Sinclair made to a Denver TV station criticizing Israel. During the campaign, Sharf said Sinclair was a "terror apologist" and "avowed enemy of Israel" -- charges Sinclair denied, saying she was unfairly labeled because of her Palestinian ancestry. 

Sharf now faces Democrat Lois Court in the general election.

Sharf readily admits he faces an uphill battle in the heavily Democratic district currently held by House Speaker Anderw Romanoff (D-Denver). According to Sharf, roughly 40 percent of the district's voters are registered Democrats, while only about 25 percent are registered Republicans.

"That's a lot to make up, but I think that we're going to target our message at unaffiliated voters, and show them why our platform is more aligned with their interests," Sharf said. "And unaffiliated voters, inevitably, determine almost every election."

Sharf called Court "a very likable person," noting that "she worked really, really hard to get the nomination during the primary, and I have a feeling she's going to work pretty hard during the general as well.

"(Court) and I obviously have a substantial number of policy differences on a substantial number of issues, but I think that's going to be a lot of fun getting a chance to debate that with her," Sharf said. "I think the district will benefit by a good, quality debate on the issues."

Two issues Sharf plans to bring up are health care and energy.

"(Health care) is going to provide a very useful contrast between the two of us," Sharf said. "Lois has campaigned very strongly on single-payer. I'm going to suggest another direction for the state, moving in the direction of more free-market reforms."

As for energy, Sharf said "there's a fairly sharp distinction between the two of us": Court has promoted renewable energy alternatives, while Sharf advocates increased oil shale drilling.