Salazar Blazes A New Trail
Congressman votes with Democrats - and Republicans - on key issues
Sunday, July 31st 2005
By Joe Hanel Herald Washington correspondent
WASHINGTON - He stuck out from the first day.
John Salazar was a Democrat who won a Republican seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in a year when his party could claim few victories. What's more, he won in rural western Colorado - a district that had been a lock for Republicans for years, until incumbent Scott McInnis retired in November.
And his younger brother, Ken, had just pulled off a similar win in the Senate.
"When I came to Congress, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't forget what our district was all about," Salazar said.
He hasn't voted like a Republican. But he hasn't been a reliable vote for Democratic leaders, either.
In 10 of the most controversial votes of the year, Salazar has voted against a majority of his party four times. His voting record ranks him as one of the 40 or so most conservative of the 202 House Democrats.
"I think most people, especially in rural communities, tend to view their candidate as someone who understands what their lifestyles are about, I think even much more so than party or partisanship," Salazar said.
His votes for Republican bills include:
* An amendment to the U.S. Constitution to ban desecration of the American flag.
* A bill to make it harder for people to declare personal bankruptcy.
* The Real ID Act, which sets stringent standards for state driver's license bureaus in hopes of ferreting out terrorists and illegal immigrants.
* Permanent repeal of the estate tax, which is levied on the richest 2 percent of Americans, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
"A lot of his votes are for things the people in the 3rd C.D. voted for him for," said Pat Waak, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party. "I've gotten no complaints about John Salazar." Scott Tipton, a Cortez Republican who is challenging Salazar in 2006, isn't impressed.
"He's done some things we expect of our congressman, regardless of whether they're a Republican or Democrat," Tipton said.
Salazar stood with Democratic leaders against extending the police powers of the Patriot Act, against an energy bill that subsidized oil and gas companies, and in favor of allowing more stem-cell research.
"In general, I try to see what my district would want me to vote," he said. "Of course, my beliefs have some influence over it, but it's not about me being here to represent John Salazar. I'm here to represent the 3rd Congressional District." His vote on the flag amendment was more personal.
"I voted my conscience on that one, because of my father. To him, that was the most important symbol of America, as it is to me, having served in the military," Salazar said.
He has been a vocal opponent of the Central American Free Trade Agreement and an influential lobbyist of the senator who shares his Washington apartment - his brother Ken.
"That was a long debate for me - three weeks. Almost every night for two hours," he said.
Ken Salazar ended up voting no on CAFTA, but it passed the Senate 54-45. It passed the House 217-215 Thursday.
"As the older brother, I have to make sure he's voting right," John Salazar joked.
Veterans' issues Salazar served in the Army at the end of Vietnam. He did not see combat.
In Congress, he has spent a lot of time on veterans' issues.
experience in Durango Real Estate
He joined other Democrats in promoting a GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century and in fixing shortfalls in the veterans' health care budget.
On Tuesday, he drew national media attention by criticizing New Line Cinema, producers of the movie "Wedding Crashers." In the movie, the stars pick up women by using Purple Heart medals.
At Salazar's urging, New Line took down a Web site that let users print a fake Purple Heart. He also introduced the Stolen Valor Act, which would make it a crime to fraudulently display military medals.
He sought a seat on the House Veterans Committee, but the Democrats ran out of slots.
Cowboy boot credibility In his public statements, Salazar mentions the fact that he's a farmer so often that he seems to be running for president of the 4-H Club.
Tuesday afternoon in his office, he was showing off a photo of himself and Ken branding a calf on their ranch to four ranchers wearing suits and cowboy hats.
The four - including Doug Zalesky from Hesperus - were in Washington on behalf of R-CALF, a stockmen's group that had lobbied to keep the Canadian border closed to cattle imports during a mad cow disease scare. Salazar sided with R-CALF on the issue.
He flies home every weekend and tries to spend at least one day a week farming to keep him close to daily life in his district, he said.
"Hay is our No. 1 priority right now," he said. "We want to get that out before the rain hits." Tipton, the Cortez Republican, is accusing him of already losing touch with his constituents.
Tipton cited Salazar's refusal to wholeheartedly support President Bush's opening of 58 million acres of national forest that President Clinton had declared roadless.
"John Salazar said he'd have to be middle of the road. I viewed that as an opportunity for him to stand with the 3rd District. Apparently, his road leads to Washington," Tipton said.
Salazar stood firmly with Democratic leaders who opposed President Bush's plan to change Social Security by adding private accounts. Democrats accused Bush of overstating the problem and did not offer a competing plan of their own.
"My position on it is we owe something to our children and grandchildren," Tipton said. "We won't get from here to there without being willing to discuss it. Everyone who can add or subtract knows we have a problem." The 2006 race Salazar beat Republican Greg Walcher in one of the half-dozen most intense races in the country in November. In addition to each candidate's record fundraising, it attracted a $3.6 million investment by the national Republican Party and half as much from the Democrats.
The Democrats are taking no chances in protecting Salazar.
"Our first target is to get John re-elected," Waak said.
The national Democrats put Salazar on their list of nine most vulnerable incumbents. His spot on the list makes him a magnet for national fundraising. He already has $644,000 in the bank, more than six times the amount of his closest opponent, Tipton.
Walcher has not ruled out running again, but he hasn't raised any money.
Registration numbers work against Salazar. In November, Republicans outnumbered Democrats in the 3rd District 161,799 to 145,195. Unaffiliated voters numbered 133,045.
Salazar knows next year's race will be heated.
"That's one of the sad realities of being in the U.S. House - you have to run every two years," he said. But, "I welcome the challenge."
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