Rep. Cory Gardner calls Sen. Mark Udall's flood claims "tall tales"

Rep. Cory Gardner calls Sen. Mark Udall's flood claims "tall tales"

Rep. Cory Gardner calls out Sen. Mark Udall, calls his flood claims “tall tales”

By Lynn Bartels

The Denver Post

In a blistering news release, Rep. Cory Gardner’s campaign today ripped his Democratic Senate opponent, Mark Udall, saying Udall is “no stranger to tall tales on the trail, but one of his most outrageously false claims relates to Colorado’s devastating 2013 floods.”

Vice President Joe Biden, right, came to Colorado last September to talk to elected officials and FEMA about the massive floods. Second from left is Congressman Cory Gardner, R-Yuma. (Photo By Kathryn Scott Osler/The Denver Post)

During a three-day road trip Monday through Wednesday, Udall, who is running for re-election, dinged Gardner while touting his efforts in helping Colorado’s flood victims. Udall’s campaign on Thursday sent a news release with the headline, “Gardner Endangered Flood Recovery.” Udall this week released a campaign ad featuring the emotional mayor of Jamestown talking about the flood.
“I was incredibly disappointed to hear and see Sen. Udall dismiss our work together on behalf of flood relief last fall,” Gardner said, in the release. “When Colorado suffers a disaster, we have a history of banding together as Coloradans and helping our family, friends, and neighbors recover. I led the effort in the House to secure federal disaster relief and stood proudly with Sen. Udall and others when we successfully moved this legislation through Congress.”

The Udall-Gardner matchup is one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country, and one that could determine which party controls the Senate after November. Energy, flooding, women’s issues have become campaign fodder for both sides and outside groups.
Here’s what the candidates had to say in their dueling press releases:
Gardner’s press release:

Senator Udall is no stranger to tall tales on the trail. But one of his most outrageously false claims relates to Colorado’s devastating 2013 floods. Today Cory Gardner reflected on the countless hours he and Senator Udall worked, the legislative solutions they forged, and the thousands of miles they traveled to aid in flood recovery efforts.
“I was incredibly disappointed to hear and see Senator Udall dismiss our work together on behalf of flood relief last fall,” Cory said. “When Colorado suffers a disaster, we have a history of banding together as Coloradans and helping our family, friends, and neighbors recover. I led the effort in the House to secure federal disaster relief and stood proudly with Senator Udall and others when we successfully moved this legislation through Congress.”
When Hurricane Sandy struck, Cory voted in favor of disaster relief that provided $17 billion in immediate disaster assistance, including $2 billion in a transportation-related Emergency Relief Account. He worked tirelessly to add wildfire relief funding to this legislation, although the House Rules Committee ultimately blocked his efforts. Cory was later successful in his efforts to win this wildfire relief funding for Colorado.
During Colorado’s floods, Cory flew out to survey the damage, speak with local leaders, help victims, and attend briefings where he learned how best to help. While on an aerial tour with Senator Udall, Cory spotted a group of stranded residents and the National Guard landed to rescue them. When they returned to Congress, Cory and Senator Udall worked with the entire delegation to secure funding for Colorado.
“Coloradans should be concerned that Senator Udall is stooping so low as to politicize a terrible tragedy and maliciously lie about what happened during Colorado’s floods,” Cory’s spokesman Alex Siciliano said. “Simply put: Mr. Udall’s rhetoric is unbecoming of a United States Senator.”

Udall’s press release:

As Colorado was reeling from the worst flooding in our state’s history, Congressman Gardner chose to put his own extreme ideology over the needs of families struggling to put their lives back together. With many families still cut off from their homes and the flood waters still receding, Gardner voted to shut down the government — forcing Colorado to front the bill for National Guard personnel, endangering response readiness, and delaying assistance to farmers impacted by the floods.
In addition to voting to shut down the government and delay urgently needed recovery efforts, Gardner also had voted against the federal disaster bill that funded much of Colorado’s flood recovery needs. This funding was made possible by a disaster assistance bill that Congressman Gardner and Tea Party Republicans in the House fought against tooth and nail. As Republican Gov. Chris Christie said, House Republicans’ refusal to help Americans in need ‘was disappointing and disgusting to watch.’
“Congressman Gardner put his radical, Tea Party ideology over the needs of Colorado communities who were fighting to hold on after the worst natural disaster in our state’s history,” Udall for Colorado spokesperson Kristin Lynch said. “When Coloradans needed him to stand up, Gardner just shut down. That kind of selfish disregard for our families and communities is just too extreme for Colorado.”