Conservative Rick O'Donnell
-- dubbed Rubber Stamp Rick by opponents for his support the Bush administration's
policy -- is the Republican candidate running in the highly competitive race to
represent Colorado's 7th Congressional District.  This
will be the second bid for Congress for the 36-year-old Colorado native and one
of the youngest members of Republican Gov. Bill Owens' cabinet. O'Donnell lost
the 7th District seat in 2002 to current GOP Rep. Bob Beauprez, who recently vacated
the seat to run for governor.
O'Donnell's resume includes several top posts
in state government. He headed the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies
and was director of the Governor's Office of Policy and Initiatives. In 2003,
Colorado Gov. Bill Owens appointed him head of the Department of Higher Education,
where he monitored the state's 29 colleges and universities. The state Democratic
Party has criticized O'Donnell for using unethical fundraising practices during
his current campaign. At a March 9 fundraiser for O'Donnell, guests included
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson and Roy Palmer,
the head lobbyist for Xcel Energy, a Minnesota electric power and natural gas
company currently involved in a lawsuit with the EPA. While O'Donnell's
campaign denies any wrongdoing for inviting the two men, state Democrats have
filed a complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel in Washington claiming
Johnson broke the law by speaking at a political event. The ranking Democrat on
the U.S. House Judiciary Committee has called for an inquiry. According
to the Denver Post, in response to a public information request listing the names
of the 14 people who attended the event, O'Donnell's campaign left off Palmer's
name. Democrats also question O'Donnell's acceptance of thousands of dollars
in campaign funds from telecom companies in 2002. "If Rick O'Donnell is
as serious about ethics reform in Washington as he claims to be, he should return
all of the campaign donations he has solicited by selling access and influence
to special interests," Chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party Pat Waak wrote
in April. Despite the lambasting from the Democratic Party, O'Donnell has
found strong support from Washington's Republican leadership. In 2002, Vice
President Dick Cheney visited Colorado to help raise funds for O'Donnell's first
run for Congress. And in a major boost in what could be one of the toughest congressional
races in the country, President Bush attended a fundraiser for O'Donnell on July
21. Colorado's 7th District was divided almost evenly among Democrats and
Republicans following its creation in 2002. In recent elections the district has
swayed slightly Democratic due to an influx of African Americans, according to
the National Journal. O'Donnell is a staunch supporter of immigration reform
-- "We must first and foremost recognize that we are a sovereign nation with a
right to secure our borders, enforce our laws and stop people illegally entering
our country," he said in his speech accepting the Republican nomination. He has
also advocates for tax reform, limits on federal spending and Social Security
reform. His 12-step program to end corruption in Washington is aimed at
creating more transparency by forcing lobbyists to disclose all sources of funding,
banning family members of lawmakers from lobbying Congress and making it a federal
offense for lawmakers to trade votes for political favors. O'Donnell lives
in Lakewood, Colo. He is a graduate of Colorado College. He will face former
state senator and lawyer Ed Perlmutter in the November election. Campaign
Web site: www.rickodonnell.com
-- Compiled by Kristina
Nwazota for the Online NewsHour
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