Colorado Republican Joe O'Dea, one of eight candidates seeking the nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, plans to undergo back surgery in the coming days, Colorado Politics has learned.
While the surgery means the 59-year-old construction company owner may have to curtail in-person campaign events temporarily, a spokesman said the procedure won't slow down O'Dea's campaign.
“After a million-dollar start to the week for Joe, this is not a great ending to it. That’s life," Zack Roday said. "Some days are diamonds. Some days are cow pies. You look at Joe’s life — adopted at birth, paid his way through Catholic school washing dishes, dropped out of college to start a construction company — this is an annoying blip. Joe will bounce back.”
O'Dea announced on Tuesday that his campaign raised more than $1 million — including $500,000 in contributions from the candidate — for the quarter that ended Dec. 31, his first in the race.
The procedure — expected to involve fusing two or three vertebrae — had originally been scheduled for Jan. 7, but doctors decided to postpone it until next week or early the following week after O'Dea tested positive for COVID-19 in advance of the surgery. O'Dea, who is fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus and has received a booster shot, hasn't been experiencing any symptoms, his campaign said.
O'Dea is the second prominent Colorado candidate to test positive for COVID-19 this week. On Monday, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Heidi Ganahl, a member of the University of Colorado Board of Regents, said she and her family learned last weekend that they had contracted the virus. Fully vaccinated, she was experiencing minor symptoms, her campaign said.
The surgery schedule and COVID-19 test result means O'Dea won't be able to attend the Senate primary debate scheduled Tuesday evening in Lakewood.
It will also sideline the lifelong horseback rider from participating in the National Western Stock Show's team penning event, which starts this weekend, an activity the candidate and his wife, Celeste, have competed in for the last dozen years. O'Dea holds three United States Team Penning Association world titles from 2012, 2015 and 2018 and is recognized on the world stage for his penning skills.
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