Like it or not, there are only a couple of truly competitive congressional seats in Colorado. But every two years, parties manage to find candidates willing to run in all the others, despite having little to no chance of winning.
Republican Valdamar Archuleta is one of those candidates this cycle. He’s going up against Democratic incumbent Diana DeGette in the bluest district in the state.
But he’s not running like a traditional Republican.
On a Saturday night a week before the election, Archuleta was about two stories underground, behind a heavy steel door, kicking off a campaign pub crawl inside a speakeasy near Union Station.
“I'm just excited that we're out tonight and kind of getting out into the neighborhood and talking to people and sharing Valdamar’s message,” said Ashley Troxel with the Denver GOP. Troxel hoped the event would change how people view her party. “Republicans can have fun. And most of us are incredibly — especially in Denver, Colorado — very moderate in our views and not reflective of how we are often portrayed in the media.”
The friends and supporters who turned out for the pub crawl were all well aware that Denver is a tough place politically for Republicans, to put it mildly. There are four times as many registered Democrats than there are Republicans, even as unaffiliated voters make up the biggest bloc. DeGette won her last reelection with 80 percent of the vote.
Supporters living in the district said gatherings like this campaign event provide a “safe space” for like-minded Republicans to get together in the city without having to worry about being yelled at or argued with.
“It is kind of a unique event, especially for a campaign, especially for a Republican candidate,” Archuleta said. “But I also feel like Denver Congressional District One is a very unique district.”
People working on Archuleta’s campaign are hoping for a change in the district, even as they acknowledge the minuscule chance of preventing DeGette from winning a 15th term. Patty McMahon said she finds the congresswoman’s long tenure commendable but doesn’t believe serving in Congress should be a lifelong career choice.
“Not to say that I think Diana DeGette's doing anything wrong. I think Diana DeGette has been a very admirable representative for her district,” McMahon said. “However, she's been a long-time representative for her district, and I think it's time for change.”
Other attendees at the pub crawl said they’re excited about how Archuleta is changing the narrative around what people think about Republicans.
Archuleta, who’s part Native American and part Hispanic, works as a massage therapist. He’s also the chair of the state’s Log Cabin Republicans, which represents the party’s LGBT+ members.
Archuleta knows he's not your typical Republican -- and he thinks that can help -- especially in an area like Denver where Republicans "have kind of given up -- that it's not even worth pursuing a fight here in Denver or being involved in politics when we can't give up on this city. There's a lot that can be done."
A few days after the pub crawl, at a coffee shop in the Santa Fe Arts District, Archuleta said he was first asked to run for the seat last cycle but said no.
“I started talking to people about it, like, ‘You know what they asked me to do? This is crazy.’ And then there were people who started telling me, ‘Well, you should do it,’” he recalled.
This time around, he said yes. He’s clear-eyed about his slim-to-none chance of an upset, but that’s not his goal.
“I am trying to move the needle. I think I'm trying to show people in the city of Denver that Republicans are not how they're often portrayed, that a lot of our ideas are solutions they actually agree with,” he explained. “I have found that when I just talk to people, they agree with most of what I say. And so I think that there is a lot more support for us.”
However, getting that message out hasn’t been easy. Archuleta has raised just over $12,000 for his run. His opponent DeGette raised more than $1 million.
But he has achieved some campaign milestones — like getting a debate with DeGette, something not all candidates in very safe seats do. Archuletta gives the Democrats credit for that.
“Afterwards, outside, we had a nice long conversation. And a lot of that, again, wasn't even about politics, it was just two people talking. And I do think she's a nice person. I have nothing against her on a personal level,” he said.
He added there is also a freedom to run in an unwinnable race.
Candidates in close contests have to be careful about everything they say and do.
“Whereas myself — not that I want to lose votes or I'm going to do anything crazy — but if something comes up and it's like, ‘alright, I want to speak out about this,’” he said. “You can take more risks like that. So I feel like you can just be more true to who you are.”
For example, when the Colorado State Republican Party sent out an anti-Pride email, he spoke out against it and declined the party’s endorsement.
Another perk of running in a safe Democratic seat: some of his Democratic friends might actually vote for him.
While he won’t be going to Washington, D.C., Archuleta said it doesn't mean he lost. He’s really enjoyed getting to know the city where he was raised and its residents better as he’s attended city council meetings and talked with different communities.
“I've gone to these places and I feel like when I have spoken up and said things that maybe are a little more conservative, there's a lot of people in the room who I think appreciated that someone brought that to the conversation,” he said.
All in all, Archuleta said it’s been a rewarding experience.
Still, asked if he’d do it again, he smiled.
“One of my volunteers out door-knocking a few weeks ago told me, ‘You're going to miss this when it's over.’ I was like, ‘Am I though?’ I don't think I am. I think I'm going to be happy when this is over,” he said with a laugh.
