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Scott McInnis: A viable candidate?
When Colorado republican Ben Nighthorse Campbell announced he would retire his seat in the U.S. Senate, republicans in Colorado began the search for a candidate who could successfully challenge Ken Salazar and maintain the slim republican majority in the Senate. Several names arose in the search, including the representative from Colorado’s 3 rd Congressional District, Scott McInnis.
Having served almost six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, McInnis had the experience that made him an obvious possibility to succeed Campbell. Several factors contributed to his viability, including:
• Name Recognition: Locally, McInnis is well known as an advocate for scenic preservation in Colorado, including pushing through legislation creating two more National Parks in Colorado. Nationally, he has served as an influential member of the House Ways and Means Committee and as an advisor to NATO ("Biography...McInnis").
• Constituent Links: McInnis’ committee positions and the legislation he has written to curb government spending and preserve Colorado wilderness resonates with Coloradoans, especially republicans. During his career he was routinely awarded “best legislator” awards from Western Colorado newspapers, is a fourth generation Colorado native and places several tributes per week to “extraordinary constituents” in the Congressional Record ("CQ...Colo."). Additionally, Colorado’s 3 rd Congressional District is one of the largest in the country and the total area is larger than the state of Florida ("Colorado's...District"). Claiming he was not interested in being “too comfortable” in Washington, McInnis never purchased a home in D.C., instead sleeping in his office and showering at the Congressional gym ("CQ...Colo.").
• Party/Interest Group Links: McInnis is highly valued by his House counterparts; they begged him to reconsider running for the 1998 Senate position (ibid.) and they placed him on the powerful Ways and Means Committee before he could be considered a senior Congressman. In the 2004 race, McInnis was encouraged by prominent republicans like Karl Rove to run for Campbell’s vacated seat (Mccrimmon).
Despite these attributes which suggest he would make a viable candidate, McInnis did not run, a fact that can be explained by lack of ambition. For most of his career, McInnis demonstrated progressive ambition. He first started serving the public as a police officer and a family attorney. Next he was elected to the Colorado State Legislature and was named House Majority leader in 1990 before he was elected to the U.S. House in 1992 ("Biography...McInnis"). Though he was planning to run in 1998 race before Campbell said he would keep his seat, McInnis said this year that 22 years of public life is enough (Mccrimmon) and when his term is over he will take a job with the Denver office of the law firm Hogan and Hartson (Sprengelmeyer). In the end, despite his many qualifications, McInnis’ lack of ambition to continue in politics made way for more driven candidates to throw their hat in the ring for this important Senate race.
Created by: Carolyn Gilmor (cagilmor@davidson.edu) for POL 318 at Davidson College
Created: 9/22/04. Updated: 9/23/04