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Udall Hires Third Press Secretary

Press shop has struggled through campaign

Mark Udall / AP

The campaign for Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Udall (Colo.) has added a third spokesperson, a press secretary from fellow Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D.).

Kristin Lynch is now a press secretary for "Udall for Colorado," making her the third spokesperson to join the campaign, which has fumbled several media opportunities in the race so far. Lynch is a former reporter, who worked for the Cambodian newspaper Phnom Penh Post.

Lynch joins Udall’s communications director Chris Harris, a former communications director for Media Matters and American Bridge 21st Century, the liberal Super Pac founded by David Brock. Also on board is James Owens, a former press secretary in Udall’s senate office.

"I’m thrilled to be joining the Udall team for one of the most important Senate races in the country," Lynch said in a statement released by the Udall campaign on Tuesday. "From protecting our right to make our own health care decisions, to relentlessly working to fix our broken immigration system, to fighting for Colorado’s LGBT individuals, Mark has always worked to do what’s best for Coloradans, and I’m looking forward to communicating those priorities."

Udall’s press shop has faced some challenges. His team botched the release of a campaign ad, enabling the Colorado GOP and Rep. Cory Gardner’s (R., Colo.) campaign to attack it before it was even released.

Additionally, Udall’s campaign sent a letter to Gardner last month asking to schedule debates, even though the candidates had already agreed to five.

"I look forward to working together to secure a mutually agreed upon schedule encompassing appearances and/or debates with mainstream media partners and moderators in the major Colorado television markets," it read.

"The letter puzzled Gardner's campaign, which noted the candidate already has accepted five invitations to debate," according to the Denver Post.

Harris told the paper that the letters were simply intended to "start the process" of setting up debate dates, though five had already been scheduled.