While Jared Polis, the current congressman from District 2, is trying to raise his profile across Colorado, the Democrat who hopes to take his job has raised his national profile. Ken Toltz last week took on Democratic finger-pointing in an op-ed column for The Hill, a Washington, D.C.-based newspaper that covers, well, Capitol Hill.

Toltz defended House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and the party brand against intra-party criticism. Democrats have gone 0 for 4 in special elections since Donald Trump became president, he noted, causing some to sweat the party’s chances headed into next year’s mid-term election.

“Demonizing and delegitimizing Democratic Party leaders has been page one of Republican Party playbook up through today, Toltz wrote in The Hill. “President Trump continues via Twitter to denigrate Obama since it still helps stir up the base. Now it seems like a few Democratic elected officials have bought into Republican tactical demonization themselves! The strategic challenge Pelosi’s critics are failing to address is the public confusion about what Democrats believe.”

Toltz was the first Democrat to say he was testing the waters to run for Polis’ seat last month after the mega-millionaire congressman from Boulder announced his plan to run for governor next year. Toltz ran unsuccessfully for the 6th Congressional District seat against Tom Tancredo in 2000. Toltz is best known as the founder of Safe Campus Colorado, a citizens group opposed to concealed weapons on college campuses.

Toltz clarified to Colorado Politics Wednesday that he’s still a “prospective candidate,” exploring a campaign.

Joe Neguse, who ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state in 2014, also has entered the race and more Democrats and Republicans are expected to jump in.

Toltz said in his op-ed it’s not solely up to congressional leadership, meaning Pelosi, to grow the party.

“(I)t’s equally and, maybe more importantly, the responsibility of state Democratic leaders at all levels,” Toltz wrote. “Taking back state legislatures and governorships ahead of the 2022 redistricting – playing the long game as Republicans have done over the past twenty years – should be at the heart of Democratic strategy.

“How can Democrats accomplish that if they hound Nancy Pelosi out of leadership? It’s a ridiculous idea which should be roundly denounced and rejected.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated to note that Toltz hasn’t officially announced his candidacy, but is “vigorously exploring” a run. It’s a fine point, he conceeds.