DENVER – In the battle for control of the Colorado State Senate, every race is critical. Beyond the political battles at hand, candidates in swing districts across the state find themselves engaged in battles of ideas on how best to move Colorado forward.

That is, except for one crucial race.

Senate District 27, encompassing Aurora, Centennial and Cherry Creek, is currently represented by Republican Jack Tate, a rock-solid commonsense legislator who has tirelessly advocated for his constituents since being appointed to the seat in 2015. Tate’s voting record is reflective of a lawmaker rooted in fiscal prudence and consistently sound judgment.

The same cannot be said for Tate’s Democratic opponent, Tom Sullivan of Centennial. Since announcing his intention to challenge Tate in February, Sullivan has run a campaign glaringly light on specific policy. To highlight but one example, Compass Colorado found Sullivan’s name on a list of Colorado politicians who oppose Amendment 69, but when visiting Sullivan’s “issues” page on his campaign website, there is not a single mention of health care or what Sullivan would do to improve it.

Nor is there a single mention of tax policy, budgetary policy, or most anything that affects the day-to-day lives of Coloradans. Kelly Maher, Executive Director of Compass Colorado, suggested that absent actual policies, one can only infer how Sullivan might vote based on a look at his biggest donors:

“The closest that Tom Sullivan comes to specifying what he would do as a lawmaker comes in the sentence on his issues page that touts his union endorsements. Sullivan himself is a lifelong union member, but in matters of actual substance, he is in way over his head.

“Not surprisingly, Sullivan’s campaign is largely bankrolled by the same big-government union interests on whom he is professionally dependent. This isn’t rocket science, folks. It’s a handpicked union lackey challenging a great lawmaker who actually understands the private sector and the hardworking people of his district.

“But don’t take my word for it. If Sullivan comes knocking on your door, be sure to ask him for specifics. He’ll probably be off your property before you can finish your question.”

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