Rocky article repeated misleading suggestion that Schaffer not “formally” a Senate candidate yet

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

The Rocky Mountain News on October 27 reported that Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer “has been criticized for saying he won't talk about the issues until after he formally announces for office next year.” However, Schaffer is already a formally announced candidate as recognized by the Federal Election Commission, as Colorado Media Matters has noted.

In an October 27 article the Rocky Mountain News reported that Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer “has been criticized for saying he won't talk about the issues until after he formally announces for office next year.” However, as Colorado Media Matters has noted, Schaffer is already a formally announced candidate as recognized by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Indeed, the News itself reported May 14 that “Schaffer filed his official statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on [May 9], according to the FEC's Web site.”

The News reported on Schaffer's Senate candidacy in an article by Lynn Bartels about Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall's removing from his campaign website video of a U.S. House floor appearance by Udall, over concerns that having it on the campaign site may have violated House rules.

From Lynn Bartels' article “Video yanked from Udall campaign Web site,” published October 27 in the Rocky Mountain News:

Democrat Mark Udall's senatorial campaign removed a video from the candidate's Web site Friday after learning the display appears to violate U.S. House rules.

The video featured Udall's speech in February on the floor of the U.S. House concerning troop surges in Iraq.

House rules state that coverage and recordings of House floor proceedings cannot be used for political purposes.

[...]

“We weren't aware that it violated the rules,” said Mike Melanson, Udall's campaign manager. “It was an inadvertent mistake.”

Melanson said he is surprised by the rule, in part because the video in question was shot by C-SPAN and is available for viewing at YouTube.com.

“It's out in the public domain, but you can't use it?” he said.

Melanson said other politicos must be just as confused by the rule.

He said when he looked at the GOP's senatorial and congressional campaign Web sites on Friday, both featured videos of lawmakers talking on the floor.

“I guess we'll just have to find another way to articulate Mark's positions for the voters,” Melanson said.

“Maybe someday we'll hear some of Schaffer's positions, too.”

Schaffer has been criticized for saying he won't talk about the issues until after he formally announces for office next year.

Colorado Media Matters noted an example of Schaffer “saying he won't talk about the issues until after he formally announces for office next year” after an August 22 Pueblo Chieftain article (accessed through the Factiva database) quoted Schaffer giving that as his explanation for declining to comment on the U.S. Army's proposed expansion of the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site. As Colorado Media Matters noted, the FEC identifies Schaffer as a candidate whose “principal campaign committee” -- a title the FEC does not allow to be used for an “exploratory” campaign -- is “Bob Schaffer for US Senate.” Furthermore, in an open letter on his official Senate campaign website, Schaffer touched on “some of the reasons I've decided to run for the United States Senate.”