Larimer hopefuls line up for Polis' seat in Congress

Update: Former Loveland resident Howard Dotson said on Oct. 16 that he is suspending his congressional campaign and no longer seeking the 2nd Congressional District seat in Colorado.

The election isn't until the end of 2018, but state Republicans and Democrats are searching for candidates to fill the U.S. House of Representatives seat for Colorado's 2nd Congressional District.

The race for the seat held by Democrat Rep. Jared Polis since 2009 will be open next year after Polis announced on Sunday his plan to join the crowded race for Colorado governor.

The 2nd Congressional District includes Larimer, Boulder, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Grand and Summit counties.

While several in Larimer County have announced that they are considering running for the seat, Loveland resident Howard Dotson announced Tuesday morning he was tossing his hat into the ring.  

The former interim pastor of First United Presbyterian Church in Loveland is also a former City Council candidate, who unsuccessfully ran to fill the seat left vacant by Hugh McKean after McKean's election to the Colorado Legislature in 2016.

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Dotson, a Democrat, has been a vocal proponent of mental and behavioral health efforts in Larimer County.

In a statement, Dotson wrote that after he returns from working with Syrian refugees in Lebanon, he plans to launch his campaign for Colorado's 2nd Congressional District seat.

His platform goals include greater access to quality and affordable mental health care, quality education, gun-control legislation and "more compassionate measures" to work with immigrant communities.

While Dotson, who moved to the state less than two years ago, is the only candidate who has officially announced his plan to join the race, developer and former Fort Collins City Council member Gino Campana, a Republican, said he’s not a candidate — yet — but is certainly talking as if he will be.

“We continue to consider all options ... we are exploring it,” he said. “We have turned up the tempo on our evaluation based on Polis’ announcement.

“I’ll tell you this, if we run, we will have the best and brightest on the team and we will be 100 percent equipped to win. If we decide to do it, we will do a full-court press.”

Campana, who spent seven years on the city’s planning and zoning board, did not seek re-election to his council seat this year and has long been toying with a run for higher office.

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He worked with former first lady Michelle Obama on her Healthy Kids initiative and with former Vice President Joe Biden on his “It’s on Us,” campaign.

“I’ve never let partisanship get in the way of accomplishing an objective,” he said. “If there’s an issue and we can cause positive change ... that’s what’s important.”

He said he views the congressional district as more purple than blue with the number of unaffiliated voters outweighing Democrats or Republicans.

That's also how former Colorado Rep. Brian DelGrosso views the voting bloc of the district. 

DelGrosso, a Republican, represented House District 51, which encompasses Loveland and some surrounding areas, from 2009-2016.

The small business owner said he has a lot of business and personal factors to consider before making a decision about whether to run. He joked they don't include the need for a job.

DelGrosso acknowledges that while the 2nd Congressional District seat is a tough one for a Republican to win, it's still possible.

"The key to the 2nd Congressional District is winning over that unaffiliated voter, that person that's in the middle," he said.

He points out that the number of unaffiliated voters continues to grow in each election cycle as voters become frustrated with both parties. 

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DelGrosso, who served as the House minority leader for a term, said if he decides to run, it'll be to "protect Colorado" and "keep Colorado on the map in Washington, D.C."

And though the situation in D.C. seems like "a mess," DelGrosso said, he hopes he could at least affect some change if elected.

Other names that have floated around for the seat in Larimer County include state Sen. Kevin Lundberg, R-Berthoud, and former state Rep. B.J. Nikkel, R-Loveland.

Term-limited Lundberg has served in the Senate since 2009, and before that was the House District 49 representative until elected to the Senate. Nikkel then was appointed to fill his seat in the House.

In an interview, Lundberg, who previously ran against Polis for the 2nd Congressional District seat in 2012 and lost 55.7 to 38.6 percent, said he has not seriously considered running for the open seat again, nor does he think he will.

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Lundberg announced a couple of weeks ago he is looking to run for the statewide office of treasurer in 2018.

The 2nd Congressional District seat is "politically speaking, a very tough district for a Republican," he said. "Boulder County is overwhelmingly on the other side of the political spectrum."

Nikkel confirmed to the Coloradoan on Tuesday morning that she is considering a run for the seat.

She served as the House District 49 representative from 2009-2012 and as the House Majority Whip in 2010. During the 2016 presidential campaign, she worked as the Colorado for Trump co-chair.

Nikkel said if she decides to run, "it will be to win."

"I'm still very engaged in criminal justice reform efforts both in Colorado and nationally, and I still serve as a signatory to the (criminal justice) reform organization Right on Crime, along with other nationally known Republicans. I would continue to be a voice for more criminal justice reform efforts if I decide to run," she wrote in a statement.

She added that she planned to continue being an "ardent advocate" for veterans and the military as well as law enforcement.

Nikkel said she would oppose gun-control efforts, which would "erode any of those foundational Constitutional rights" given by the Second Amendment.

Other issues she hopes to address if she runs, she said, include protecting Americans' civil liberties and term limits for members of Congress.

Outside of Larimer County, Democrat Joe Neguse of Lafayette announced Tuesday he would seek the nomination for the 2nd Congressional District seat.

Neguse is the executive director of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies and a former CU regent for Colorado's 2nd Congressional District. He was the 2014 Democratic nominee for Secretary of State.

Democrats Ken Toltz, Shaun McGrath and Shannon Watts are reportedly thinking of running for the seat as well.

Toltz, a businessman and gun-control activist, was the Democratic nominee for the 6th Congressional District in Colorado in 2000. He moved to Boulder four years ago.

He said he is "vigorously exploring" running for the seat, announcing his consideration only hours after Polis' announcement on Sunday.

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McGrath is a former Boulder mayor who served on the Boulder City Council from 2003-2009. He told the Boulder Daily Camera he was seriously considering the seat, as did Watts, who is the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

You can email reporter Saja Hindi at shindi@coloradoan.com or follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/BySajaHindi.