It is difficult to understand how a man can be seeking to serve us in the highest of public offices and yet tarnish the very same legacy of public service the current officeholder and his family have attained. The legacy of the Udall family is widely known in the west and it represents a respect for the people and the lands of the west that Congressmen Gardner fails to understand.   

I am proud to support Sen. Mark Udall for re-election to represent the State of Colorado in the U.S. Senate. His ongoing and passionate support for the people of this State as Representative is the reason he is our Senator. Udall's leadership on issues of transparency in government has made him one of the strongest voices of reason in a Senate that can ill afford another Koch-head like Gardner.

Gardner is the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing. Women's issues lose when he votes. The environment loses when he votes. The middle class loses when he votes. His support from Crossroads and Citizens for Prosperity are the fronts for the rich and the Koches. Money wins and common sense loses each time Cory Gardner casts a vote. His deception as one holding public office should be challenged.

For Gardner to call into question the Udall family legacy of public service is less than honorable and smacks of desperation. It has zero to do with the important questions of leadership and representing the people of Colorado. But it shows Gardner is incapable of recognizing the altruism surrounding principled public service. It is the type of desperation that only shows when others are pulling strings.

Voters in the State of Colorado would do best in casting their ballots for Mark Udall and allow Gardner return to his proud family legacy of selling tractors.

David Black

Bayfield