AVON — Mark Williams was an Air Force fighter jet pilot in the first Gulf War and an intelligence turned entrepreneur who studied Eastern mysticism. He is running for U.S. Congress … because, he says, we really need people such as him.
It’s making the race for the 2nd District much more interesting. Democratic insiders had preordained Boulder attorney Joe Neguse as Polis’ successor, Williams said.
Williams went the petition route to the Tuesday, June 26, primary, handing in 1,926 signatures to Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams, who declared Williams the first Democrat to qualify for the Democratic primary ballot.
“We don’t need help from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and its billionaire donors and revolving-door consultants to decide on issues and candidates here in Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District,” Williams said. “It’s called democracy. We like our candidates like we like our values — strong — so we’re taking a stand for robust policies that address the needs of all Americans.
Williams is the former chairman of the Boulder County Democratic party.
Neguse, 33, is the son of refugees from Africa. He is an attorney on the Front Range and in 2008 was elected as a University of Colorado Regent while still in law school. Democratic delegates to last weekend’s state assembly in Broomfield put Neguse on the ballot.
Jan Crawford, a Colorado native and longtime Colorado political and media consultant, told The Boulder Reporter the state and national Democratic party wanted the road cleared for Neguse and blocked for all others.
Primary ballots will be available Friday, May 25, from the county clerk’s office. They will be mailed on Monday, June 4. The primary is Tuesday, June 26.