Buried near the end of a belated Valentine’s Day-themed message in Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon’s newsletter was an announcement that made official what many may have suspected. He isn’t going to run for Congress.
“After much prayer and consultation, I have made the decision to stay here and finish the job you chose me for, where I believe I can have the greatest opportunity for impact and to effectuate good ideas with purpose,” Laydon wrote in the newsletter.
It was no surprise he won’t seek the Congressional District 4 seat given that campaign season is already well underway and packed with Republicans looking to replace U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, who is retiring.
Laydon told Colorado Community Media that supporters had urged him to run — partly in response to U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s decision to run for the seat.
“When she announced, there was this flurry of calls and messages saying, ‘You gotta run,’” Laydon said.
In a move that has shaken the Republican political landscape in Colorado, Boebert said she would leave her seat in the state’s 3rd District on the Western Slope and instead run in the 4th District, which spans from Douglas County in the south Denver area to Loveland up north, along with most of Eastern Colorado.
Boebert’s decision drew swift criticism from several opponents, with some observers saying the move by the incumbent means the Republican Party is likely ceding the 3rd District to Democrats.
Asked about his sense of how Republicans in Douglas County feel about Boebert running, Laydon said: “Yeah, they don’t like it.”
“I haven’t heard from a single individual that has been pleased with her changing districts, moving here and running here,” Laydon said.
One of the main reasons he considered running for the seat is that he feels Congress needs to change, Laydon added.
“Gone are the days where the average citizen wants to support bomb throwers and media personalities that get little done but have a lot to say,” Laydon said.
At a local level
Now in his second term as a Douglas County commissioner, Laydon’s tenure as one of the county’s three leaders lasts through 2026.
With the years ahead, he hopes to bring changes to areas of governance that Douglas residents see in their own backyard.
“Locally, we have this amazing mandate from citizens around parks, open space and historic resources,” Laydon said in reference to a voter-approved, 15-year extension of the county open space sales tax. “So (I’m) focusing on dedicating what will be $330 million over the next 15 years, over the life of that ballot measure.”
“The intent there that I have is iconic recreational opportunities that really provide a sense of place, where people as far away as Munich or somewhere in Sydney might say, ‘They did that — in Douglas County?’ The goal is ‘iconic,’” Laydon said.
He’s also focused on reducing homelessness — particularly among veterans but also throughout the county for all populations.
“I want to support that (work) to the point where panhandling and homelessness has completely dried up in our county,” Laydon said.
A less-public issue also weighs on his mind: the challenges families face at home.
A project he started called the Douglas County Healthy Families Initiative aims to educate young families about “infant mortality (and) mental health, particularly for young moms and dads dealing with postpartum depression,” Laydon said.
It also meant to help “young dads and (address) domestic violence, which often goes unreported on in Douglas County.”
Another factor keeping his energy at home was a desire to focus on his family.
“My main goal is to make my precious three children, their mother, and my incredibly supportive friends and communities, both new and old, my main focus and priorities in the coming year. This Valentine’s I am reminded that it is each of them and you I care about the most and my heart will remain at home,” Laydon wrote in his newsletter.
Looking forward
Laydon declined to comment on what a Boebert win could mean for Douglas County.
But he said: “I think at this point, it’s a statistical reality that the faith that the average citizen has in Congress is incredibly low. And until we have (someone) that has a track record of getting things done, we will continue to struggle from a congressional level.”
Asked whether he is leaving the door open to running for Congress in 2028, he said: “I’ll go where I can make a difference.”
“I’m not saying never, just not now,” Laydon said.
Abe Laydon is the prefect example of a self-made Teflon politician. He should be remembered for his April 2021 irrational statement: “This pandemic is over,” he exclaimed. As Laydon spoke, “another increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, a reflection of the state’s growing fourth wave. None of this data appeared to deter Laydon or his colleagues. In his moment of wishful thinking, he pontificated on the apparent similarities between the actions of Douglas County that night and that of the young child in Hans Christian Andersen’s folktale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” “I want to have the courage of that young child, and for Douglas County to be (the) first county in the state to say that this pandemic is over.” Colorado Newsline