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Darryl Glenn explains boycott with Denver Post

Shrugs off lack of national support, bad polls

DENVER – Republican Darryl Glenn on Wednesday said he remains committed to speaking with the media and explaining his positions, despite accusations in the U.S. Senate race that he is shielding himself from public scrutiny.

Colorado Democrats fanned the flames after Glenn stated that he would no longer speak with The Denver Post, or participate in a debate the paper planned to moderate.

“Think about the term moderate,” Glenn told The Durango Herald. “You’re supposed to be appearing to be objective. How can you sit there and be objective when we’re having these issues? Because then the issue becomes Darryl Glenn and The Denver Post, versus, Darryl Glenn versus Michael Bennet.”

Glenn wants to unseat Democrat Bennet, though he faces an uphill battle in an election that observers say took Colorado off the map because of Bennet’s advantage.

In yet another sign of the bizarre nature of this election season, The Denver Post and its political reporters have personally been dragged into the race. Republican Donald Trump has made the strategy popular by tapping into public frustration with the media, calling reporters and the outlets they work for “dishonest.”

Glenn said his decision to no longer speak with the Post is not a strategy. He said it has to do with a sensitivity issue stemming from the paper’s investigation into whether he had a past criminal history.

Glenn says he still does not remember an altercation on Nov. 20, 1983, in Colorado Springs, when he “got between” his mother and father after his father allegedly struck Glenn’s mother. The Post analyzed a police report and other documents that suggested that Glenn hit his father in the face.

Glenn was presented with the 1983 complaint that had a signature of the name Darryl L. Glenn that had similarities to Glenn’s current signature, seen on recent campaign and other documents, according to the Post, which consulted with a handwriting expert. Glenn says he was not arrested, only issued a citation, which was then thrown out.

The Post characterized the incident as resulting in an “assault charge.” The paper also ran an editorial that stated, “Why Darryl Glenn’s assault denial matters.”

When asked why he blamed the incident on others – including another Darryl Glenn, or his dead half-brother – even after being presented with the evidence, Glenn said he was suffering from the trauma of the alleged domestic violence incident.

“When you’re sitting there in that situation, your brain compresses a lot of things, especially if it’s a part of how you’ve grown up, and I still to this day don’t recall that,” Glenn said. He added that he had to consult with his mother for details.

“They (the Post) didn’t believe it. It shows a lack of sensitivity and a lack of truly understanding what domestic violence does to people in that situation,” Glenn said. “It becomes something more than just political. It becomes downright insensitive.”

Democrats have used the skirmish to suggest that Glenn is hiding from the media. While he has conducted media interviews – including several with the Herald – Democrats are attempting to force a narrative that he has blocked reporters.

The party pointed to statements by Charles Ashby, a reporter with The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction, that, Glenn doesn’t “seem to have a campaign” and “we’ve hardly seen him at all.” The idea that Glenn doesn’t have a powerful campaign has been fueled by lackluster fundraising – especially from national GOP interests – and dismal polling.

But Glenn said the reason he hasn’t been on the national radar is because Republicans have more difficult races in other states. He shrugged off several polls that have him down by double digits.

“I look at it as a compliment,” Glenn said of the lack of national interest. “They know I can beat Michael Bennet on my own.”

pmarcus@durangoherald.com

Sep 19, 2016
Democrats laughing over Darryl Glenn’s confidence


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