ON THE STUMP: Lamborn Endorsed by Family Research Council

Rep. Doug Lamborn has been endorsed in his re-election bid by the Family Research Council Action, the legislative advocacy arm of the Family Research Council.

The group’s goal is to preserve and advance family, faith and freedom, and said in a release that “Lamborn is a proven friend of the family,” demonstrated by his pro-life position.

The Family Research Council formerly was associated with Focus on the Family, a Christian ministry based in Colorado Springs.

NOW SHOWING
Typical videos on YouTube.com show dogs on skates and foaming-at-the-mouth tirades.

For Democratic House District 17 candidate Dennis Apuan, who’s set up his own channel on the online video site, clips show him and others speaking calmly into a microphone.

Campaign Web sites are now standard for people seeking political office, but Apuan is among the first political hopefuls to set up his own YouTube channel. Check it out at youtube.com/DennisApuan.

Fifth congressional candidate Jeff Crank also has a YouTube channel.

Apuan is the sole Democrat running for a seat being vacated by Republican Stella Garza Hicks. Republican candidates are Sheila Hicks and Catherine Roupe, who face off in the Aug. 12 primary.

Apuan’s upcoming campaign events:
-Soup Supper and Dessert Auction, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Carnegie Reading Room of the Penrose Library, 20 N. Cascade Ave., $20 donation suggested.
-Concert for Democracy, 8 to 11 p.m. May 17 at the Satellite Hotel, 411 Lakewood Drive. Ricky Barnes and other performers will perform to benefit Apuan.
-Community Picnic, noon to 4 p.m. May 24 at Deerfield Hills Community Center, 4290 Deerfield Hills Road. The event costs $10 for adults, $5 for children age 12 and younger, or $25 per family.

HAMMERING AWAY
Congressional hopeful Jeff Crank continues to pound on earmarks, amendments tacked onto spending bills targeting specific projects and, at times, contractors.

Earmark spending has increased from $27 billion in 1994 to $52 billion in 2005.

Crank opposes them and sided with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain last week on halting earmarks, signing the FreedomWorks pledge that bans earmarks.

“We simply need to take action,” Crank said in a statement. “We have dug a hole that we need to be climbing out of, not digging deeper.”

Lamborn is trying to protect earmark spending, Crank alleges.

Crank cited a report on RealClearPolitics.com that said a recent secret survey of the House Republican minority showed a 2-to-1 margin opposed to banning earmarks.

When The Gazette asked Lamborn to reveal his earmark requests for the 2009 budget this week, he said he wasn’t sure of the definition of an earmark and would have to sort that out first.