It didn’t come as much of a surprise last week when Brighton resident Tom Janich climbed into another political race.
He’ll be the first to admit it’s about as common as snow around this time of year for the long-time candidate to start dusting off those old campaign signs.
What was surprising is that Janich didn’t enter any run-of-the-mill city council or school board race as he has in the past, but rather he took up the Republican fight to replace U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter in the 7th Congressional District.
Even for a man who never met a political race he didn’t like, it looks like a big bite to chew.
It would be a New York Giants sized upset for the perennial also-ran to unseat a popular incumbent who cruised to a relatively easy, albeit hard fought, win against Republican opponent Rick O’Donnell in the last election. This was a race that garnered national attention from both parties before the party abruptly waved the white flag on O’Donnell toward the end and shifted its attention to other races.
When Janich has run for school board or fire board in the past, he has worn his conservative beliefs on his sleeve. His hatred of new taxes on the common man or government waste has always come through.
He said last week his new campaign platform would include sticking to the war on terror, standing behind troops and immigration reform.
It’s funny because, despite his staunch views, none of those things seem too radical even for a moderate Republican. And certainly no residents here have been screaming for additional taxes and more than a few have complained about lax immigration laws.
He is the candidate that everyone, at least metaphorically, says they want. He is a bulldog when it comes to government responsibility (see his recent fight against the library district changing course on its Brighton plans). He will and has alienated himself from fellow board members to stand behind his beliefs, especially when it comes down to tacking onto taxes.
He really is a voter’s friend when it comes to standing up for what he believes they want.
Voters have rarely been as kind.
Janich’s message has seldom changed from campaign to campaign and his fiery opposition to new taxes has only grown more relevant as time has pressed on and many say enough. But somewhere Janich’s viewpoints have been washed out; perhaps it’s by that ringing sound of defeats that have accompanied many of his local campaign efforts. Seems once you gain a label, it’s hard to lose it
Make no mistake Janich faces an uphill battle this fall, whether it’s a result of his past campaign history or not. The same commitment to his principles that Janich should be commended for will make it hard for him to appeal to the Democrats and Independents who strike even with Republicans across the district.
The money also tends to pile up for these congressional races. Janich contends he could run an effective campaign with half as much in contributions as Perlmutter.
Money still talks.
Hopefully Janich’s message gets a fresh look from voters this fall, based on the present, not the past.
Kevin Denke’s column Spare Change appears weekly in MetroWest Newspapers and here at his blog. Contact him at kdenke@metrowestnewspapers.com or 303-659-2522, ext. 225.
