Polis, Fitz-Gerald Campaigns Trade Blows On Campaign Donations

The communications director for CD-2 Democratic candidate Jared Polis said Wednesday that primary opponent Joan Fitz-Gerald's campaign is "funded by some of the worst environmental polluters and human-rights violators in the world," and questioned why "a so-called Democrat" is taking money from oil and gas companies.

Fitz-Gerald manager Mary Anne Mandarich responded that the Polis campaign was "trying to deflect" that Polis has put more than $600,000 of his own money into his campaign and said Polis has collected his own oil and gas money.

In a Wednesday Denver Post article, Mandarich criticized Polis for donating another $204,000 to his campaign, saying, "Some people will never see that kind of money in their entire lifetime."

Asked to respond, Polis communications director Dayna Hanson replied to PolitickerCO, "I guess snarky remarks by Joan Fitz-Gerald and her campaign won't negate the fact that her campaign is funded by some of the worst environmental polluters and human-rights violators in the world. Jared is being very transparent about the money that he is putting into this race, and the voters in the district know exactly where that money's coming from.

"And in one of the most environmentally conscious districts in the entire nation," Hanson continued, "it doesn't make sense that a so-called Democrat is running and taking money from companies like Newmont Mining, Anadarko Petroleum - I mean the list goes on and on, and it just doesn't add up. And you have to wonder, who is she going to answer to if she gets to Congress?"

Newmont Mining, whose PAC gave Fitz-Gerald $1,000 last September, runs three mines that are among the top 15 polluters in the United States in 2006, according to data released in February 2008 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Anadarko Petroleum's PAC gave $2,000 to Fitz-Gerald; Anadarko subsidiary Kerr-McGee was named the 30th largest corporate air polluter in the U.S. in 2002 by the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Mandarich responded to PolitickerCO that "We are transparent -- we are well aware of the money we have taken.

"I think it's a great deflection tactic that the Polis campaign is trying to do," Mandarich said. "They're trying to deflect attention away from the fact that Jared has now put in $600,000 of his own money into this race. They're also trying to deflect attention away from the fact that he's taken Swift Boat money, he's taken lobbyist money."

Mandarich also pointed to donations made to Polis from individuals in the oil and gas industry, including the maximum $2,300 from oil executive Alex Cranberg and $1,000 from Lee Fikes of Bonanza Oil Company.

Fitz-Gerald's state Senate voting record also was given a 100 percent rating by the Colorado Conservation Voters group, and Fitz-Gerald "was a leader in the Senate" on renewable energy legislation, Mandarich said.