Thirty Years Ago This Week: In a shocking move, the Colorado Medical Society’s political action committee endorsed front-runner, political activist Sharon Klusman over her challenger, a medical doctor, in the 2nd Congressional District Republican primary election.

Dr. Ted Engel was the second choice of the society, but, in the political board’s eyes, was not up to the task of a congressional race.

Klusman said her stand on healthcare differed from that of the American Medical Association in that she opposes federal mandates but that she also wanted to fix “…access, availability and affordability problems.”

“Most physicians are also small business people,” Klusman said. “They want a representative who will fight the federal bureaucrats on a wide range of issues.”

Dr. Robert Sawyer, chairman of the Colorado Medical Society’s political board said that the society had nothing against Engel, but felt that Klusman stood the best chance of defeating incumbent Democratic Rep. David Skaggs.

“Engel should probably be running for a state office to get some political experience under his belt,” Sawyer said.

COMPAC cut a $5,000 check to Klusman’s primary campaign and pledged another $5,000 should she win the primary. Sawyer also said that the state organization recommended that the national organization, AMPAC, endorse Klusman as well.

Twenty Years Ago: The executive director of the Colorado Republican Party, David Wardrop, filed three requests with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office requesting an investigation into allegations of election law violations by Rep. Michael Merrifield, D-Colorado Springs.

“Rep. Merrifield’s record of campaign law violations shows his callous disregard for voter-approved campaign finance,” Wardrop said. “Rep. Merrifield has repeatedly misreported expenditures and missed filing deadlines.”

Wardrop said that he included documents attesting to violations of Amendment 27. The first of Wardrop’s requests was to do with inconsistent rental payments for office space, the second regarding free or reduced rent on space Merrifield was using at the Hillside Neighborhood Association Office in Colorado Springs, and the third involved a late filing fee imposed by the Secretary of State’s office. The fee was paid by Merrifield’s campaign committee but Wardrop argued that the state constitution clearly required that “candidates shall be personally liable for penalties imposed upon the candidate’s committee.

Merrifield made himself available to The Colorado Statesman to answer questions.

“I find it interesting that Mr. Wardrop has so much time on his hands and puts so little trust in the Secretary of State’s office,” Merrifield said. “And I’m surprised the Republicans have time to do this research when they’ve been so busy attacking Rep. Mark Cloer, R-Colorado Springs. I’ve dotted my i’s and crossed my t’s.”

Merrifield further stated that Wardrop and his party were “grasping at straws. They can’t find anything else to attack me with.”

Merrifield argued that the Secretary of State’ office has made no such complaints about filings or inaccuracies.

“The GOP are being hypocritical,” Merrifield said. “They’re constantly referring to Amendment 27 when their party opposed it. Now they’re using it to attack me.”

In other news, tempers ran high during the primary elections for House District 23 when the Jefferson County Democratic Party called out the Colorado Republican Party for it’s “character assassination” following the GOP’s publication of a poll accusing Democratic candidate Gwyn Green of being “anti-Catholic.”

“I know campaigns can be dirty sometimes, but to fund a poll that accuses me of being anti-Catholic is disgusting … and marks an all-time low,” Green said.

But when The Statesman called state GOP headquarters, party Communications Director Bill Ray, said he was confused and flatly denied involvement in the poll.

“The Colorado Republican Party is definitely not currently polling in HD 23. And I know of no one else polling in HD 23,” Ray said.

When questioned, the Jefferson County Democratic Party did not offer any proof that the state GOP had in fact run the poll.

Rachael Wright is the author of the Captain Savva Mystery series, with degrees in Political Science and History from Colorado Mesa University, and is a contributing writer to Colorado Politics and The Colorado Springs Gazette.