Denver, CO — In case you missed it, political outsider, successful business leader, and Republican nominee for US Senate Joe O'Dea sat down with VailDaily to discuss his candidacy for U.S. Senate.
Read the full article here.
See the highlights below:
On the Campaign Trail
As he’s been through most of this campaign, O’Dea moves quickly. He has to, since he’s visited all 64 counties in Colorado, with multiple visits in several places.
O’Dea began Friday in Grand Junction and spent a good part of the afternoon in the Vail Valley before a rainy drive to a dinner in the Denver area.
Even in a brief appearance, O’Dea stressed his message to fellow Republicans gathered at the restaurant: It’s time to address this country’s problems, regardless of party. O’Dea talked about rising crime, rising prices and other issues across the state.
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Campaigning for statewide office means a lot of seat time in cars and telling the same stories time and time again.
But, O’Dea said, there have been fun moments, too, like the time in Pagosa Springs when a stranger named Perry grabbed his hand and asked if he could pray for the candidate and his family.
“It’s been a great pleasure to get out and meet the people,” O’Dea said. “Colorado’s a great state.”
On O'Dea's Working-Class Background
O’Dea knows about meeting budgets and hard work. He started basically from scratch and founded a civil construction company, CEI Constructors. O’Dea said the company has worked all over the state, including projects in Eagle County including replacing the bridge along U.S. Highway over the Eagle River near Eagle. From mucking out stables as a boy to the hard work on a construction site, O’Dea knows which part of a shovel is the sweaty end.
He wants to bring that experience to the Senate, where, he said, there aren’t enough people “who know what it’s like to work a hard day.”
On Not Toeing the Party Line
While this is assuredly a partisan race, O’Dea said he’s willing to buck his own party when needed.
“I’m a moderate Republican,” he said, citing his positions on abortion. “It’s not about the parties, it’s about what’s good for Colorado.”
The two-point win he envisions would still leave almost half of Colorado who didn’t vote his way. He would make sure he was representing them well, too, he said.
Original source can be found here
