Money, hard work propel Hasan in tight HD-56 race

If Ali Hasan defeats incumbent state Rep. Christine Scanlan (D-Dillon) next month in state House District 56, it won't be for a lack of money or work on his part.

Hasan, an independent filmmaker and son of multi-millionaire Republican fundraiser Malik Hasan, has dropped more than $258,000 of his own money on the race as of Sept. 24, and according to his campaign has knocked on more than 20,000 doors in the rural mountain district that has about 47,000 registered voters.

Christine Scanlan: Photo courtesy ChristineScanlanForColorado.comScanlan and other House Democrats say they're confident the district will stay in Democratic hands, though Scanlan said like in any race, she's concerned about victory.  

"I worry and fret about this (election)," Scanlan said. "I knew that (Hasan) would be self-funding his race, just because I knew something of his personal story and personal means, but I didn't think that a rural district of our size would ever see those kind of dollars."

Ali Hasan: Photo courtesy Hasan2008.comHasan originally planned to run this year for state Senate District 8, but switched to the state House at the urging of Republican Party leaders worried about a primary battle with the current GOP nominee, state Rep. Al White (R-Hayden). He drew unwanted attention in March when his former campaign publicist and girlfriend filed for a temporary restraining order against him, claiming that he hired computer hackers to gain access to her email accounts and followed her around intimidating her.

But Hasan has overcome these "glitches" -- as Hasan manager Kaye Ferry termed them -- to mount a quite viable campaign to beat Scanlan, who was appointed to the seat last December after Dan Gibbs moved up to the state Senate.

For weeks, Hasan has been traveling the district and making phone calls to win over voters. As of Sept, 24, he had spent more than $50,000 on radio and newspaper ads, according to Colorado campaign finance records.

"Name recognition is really something that we have mastered the art of right now, " Ferry said.

Scanlan's campaign, by contrast, has raised a total of just over $50,000 and has spent less than $5,000 on advertising, election records show. But last month Scanlan got a boost from the 527 group Accountability for Colorado, which sent out a series of mailers that the Hasan campaign estimated to cost as much as $200,000, according to the Vail Daily.

Ferry said she hasn't yet seen any 527 involvement on behalf of Hasan.

State House Assistant Majority Leader Terrance Carroll predicted Scanlan would hold onto the seat, saying money isn't everything when it comes to Colorado state politics.

"Anytime someone spends that much money in a race - which is mostly his own money -- you always have to be worried," Carroll said. "(But) in the (2008 state House District 6) primary, for instance, Josh Hanfling -- who had more money than anyone else - (the money) didn't win the race for him at the end of the day.

"In state House races, it's not about who has the most money, it's about who folks feel can best serve them and who works hard," Carroll said. "And Christine has been working hard the entire election cycle."

Hasan's most prominent - and most controversial -- issue is to reduce traffic on Interstate 70 by constructing a 162-mile-long monorail between Denver International Airport and Gypsum. Ferry said House Minority Leader Mike May (R-Parker) has promised Hasan that, if elected, May would appoint Hasan to the House Transportation Committee.

"(The monorail) is a very viable solution to what's going on out there," Ferry said. "And while it might not be the solution, it's at least the start of the conversation to the solution."

Scanlan, who serves on the state House education committee, has called for school funding reform. But said she the leading issue in House District 56 -- as it is elsewhere in the country -- is the current economic crisis.

"People are just facing a lot of worry and unease, and all of those other concerns whether it's I-70 or the bark beetle are out there, but people are worried about their job, they're worried about losing their retirement savings," Scanlan said. "They want someone who can stay fiscally responsible and accountable in a real tough time economically."

State House District 56 is split almost evenly among Republicans and Democrats, with unaffiliated voters outnumbering them both.

That, said Eagle County Republican Party Chair Randy Milhoan, means that the candidate that draws in the most unaffiliateds will likely win the election.

"I think it's going to be very close," Milhoan said.