El Paso County Commissioner and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Darryl Glenn seized his highest-profile opportunity yet to reach voters in a fiery speech Monday at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
In keeping with the RNC's theme of "Make America Safe Again," Glenn's speech focused on public safety -- and the relationship between police officers and black communities. He placed blame for heightened tensions at the feet of President Obama.
"Blue lives matter," Glenn said. "Your rhetoric has a direct impact on communities and the police. We can bring this country together, but we must realize that our heroes in blue are part of the solution and not the problem."
Obama has been a "divider in chief," Glenn said.
"Mr. President, I have a message. This is not about black America, white America or brown America, this is about the United States of America," Glenn said, echoing Obama's 2004 Democratic National Convention speech.
Glenn, who described himself as an "unapologetic, Christian, constitutional conservative, pro-life, second amendment-loving veteran," also hit on themes aimed at the conservative crowd, like personal responsibility.
"If we really want to heal our communities, more men need to step up and start taking care of their children," Glenn told the raucous crowd. "Safe neighborhoods happen when fathers and mothers are in [their] home."
Glenn only took a swipe at one Democratic candidate, and it wasn't his opponent Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.
"Hillary Clinton is unfit to be president," Glenn said. "And we all know she loves her pantsuits. We should send her an email and tell her she deserves a bright orange jumpsuit."
In a statement late Monday, the Colorado Democratic Party said Glenn's speech showed he is "unapologetic in his extreme conservative views and unwilling to compromise."
That the national party gave Glenn a prime-time speaking slot was the first sign that the establishment is taking the race seriously, the Denver Post reports. A relative unknown, Glenn ran a dogged campaign this spring to capture the nomination in a crowded field. He's raised millions less than his opponent, incumbentBennet.
His money disadvantage and relatively hard-line conservative leanings add up to a tough race for him back in Colorado, political watchers say.
"I don't see where Glenn grows his level of support," Jennifer Duffy with the Cook Political Report told Colorado Matters earlier this month.
