Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is set to launch his first TV ad. It takes aim not at his opponents, Dan Maes (GOP) and Tom Tancredo (Constitution Party) but at “negative ads”:
No, I’m not standing in a shower with my clothes on because I’m trying to save money on dry cleaning. I just can’t stand negative ads. Every time I see one, I feel like I need to take a shower. [emphasis added]
Hickenlooper is beginning to take flak in recent days from critics, including the Denver Post, as a result of the allegations that Denver Police Department officers used brutality in an incident in LoDo (Lower Downtown Denver) last year. Chuck Plunkett of the Post links to a Facebook group that sprouted up after the mayor refused to answer questions on a Denver talk show about racially motivated attacks in Denver.
While Hickenlooper may currently enjoy the luxury of a comfortable lead in a three-way gubernatorial race, providing him the opportunity to launch his TV campaign with a volley against “negative ads” and not his opponents, the brewing law-enforcement controversy threatens to tarnish the mayor’s reputation.