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Congressional Campaign Ad Contains False, True Claims

Candidate Joan Fitz-Gerald Touts Her Work In New Commercial

POSTED: 1:48 pm MDT July 11, 2008

A new commercial from Democratic U.S. congressional candidate Joan Fitz-Gerald calls her a leader in alternative energy, health care reform and opposition to the war. But not all of the claims turn out to be supported by the facts.

"Joan will work to get us out of Iraq now," a veteran says in the commercial.

But Fitz-Gerald twice voted for resolutions in 2003 that had provisions supporting Bush's actions in the war, when the conflict was popular with voters. Her staff points out she voted for a resolution last year opposing a surge of troops, but that was when the public turned against the war. And by many accounts the surge appears to be helping suppress the violence in Iraq.

Either way, it is fiction to imply that a freshman congresswoman will have much say in what happens in Iraq.

"I'm for Joan because she's for single-payer health care," another supporter says in the commercial.

It may be fact that she now supports universal coverage through the single-payer proposal, but despite seven years in the Legislature, including holding the top state Senate job, Fitz-Gerald never proposed or voted for single-payer coverage in Colorado so her claim is misleading.

Her campaign staff says that she believes health care is an issue that should be handled at the federal level and not state by state.

"Thanks to Joan Fitz-Gerald, Colorado is a leader in renewable energy," the commercial says.

This claim is fact. Fitz-Gerald voted or sponsored several bills that increased the use of alternative energy. However, critics point out she was a co-sponsor of a bill that -- if it had passed -- would have allowed oil and gas developers to reduce the amount the developers pay in royalties to the state.

This ad is scheduled to run through the end of the week.

Fitz-Gerald faces Jared Polis and Will Shafroth in the August Democratic primary.

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