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Republican State Sen. Ellen Roberts last week said she's "exploring" a run to unseat Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet. She would appear to be a poor pick for the "war on women" campaign, Democrats' oft-used tactic of citing a Republican candidate's record on abortion, contraception, and other social issues to appeal to women voters.
Unlike most Republicans, Roberts largely supports abortion rights. In 2014, she was named the "most pro-abortion Republican in the legislature" by Colorado Right to Life, and she says the position has twice caused her primary challenges from the right in her state Senate races. In fact, she's so far left on social issues that it would likely doom any bid to win the GOP's nomination.
But when Roberts announced her interest in the race last week, Democrats immediately painted her as a foot soldier in the "war on women," with the state Democratic Party and its political allies immediately labeling her as a social extremist. Cathy Alderman, vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, called Roberts an integral part of the Republican-led legislature's "race to the bottom on women's health."
The focus on social issues is an early indication that—despite then-Sen. Mark Udall using the strategy unsuccessfully in 2014—Democrats still believe in that line of attack, and they're likely to deploy it again against whoever Republicans pick to run against Bennet in 2016.
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