Sen. Mark Udall (D., Colo.) is declining to be seen with President Barack Obama when he travels to Denver on Wednesday, and will only appear with the president for a private fundraising event for the Democratic incumbent’s campaign.
KUSA reports:
Sen. Mark Udall (D., Colorado) will not be maximizing time in front of the cameras with President Barack Obama when the commander-in-chief visits Denver this week.
When Air Force One touches down in Denver on Tuesday night, Sen. Mark Udall won't be on board nor will he be on the tarmac to greet the president.
Likewise, the Udall campaign told 9NEWS the senator will not attend an official speech the president plans to give Wednesday, which will be open to the Denver news media.
Instead, Udall will be on a flight from Washington, D.C. that's scheduled to land in time for the senator to attend a closed-door fundraiser for his re-election campaign, headlined by the president.
Rep. Cory Gardner (R., Colo.), who is currently in a tight race against Udall, was quick to criticize the optics of the president’s visit.
"The public is not only barred from attending the president's speech in Denver, but now Sen. Udall has announced he will not appear with the president either," Alex Siciliano, Gardner’s campaign spokesman, said. "Sen. Udall's message to the president is clear: help me rake in campaign cash behind closed doors, keep the media from capturing photos of us together, and avoid real Coloradans at all costs."
Udall’s campaign spokesman Chris Harris said, "We’re happy to have" President Obama and blamed Udall’s absence on Senate votes on Tuesday.
Udall has sent numerous campaign fundraising emails raffling off a chance to have lunch and "get a photo" with the president when he is in Denver.
Fifty-five percent of Coloradans disapprove of Obama’s job performance, according to a poll conducted earlier this year.