Republicans in House District 6 say their current candidate for the November election misrepresented herself at the District Assembly March 1.
Sources say that after watching another candidate get "reamed" on abortion rights, Rima Barakat Sinclair stood up and declared herself as a pro-life candidate – though she has publicly been quoted saying she would like see a president who is pro-choice. ("Colorado Muslims Aspire to Become a Political Force," Denver Post, 8/14/04)
Additionally, Barakat Sinclair's political interest does not expand far beyond the conflict in the Middle East as evidenced by her extensive writings on the issue. In a January 23, 2008 column in the "Voice of Revolution" e-mail newsletter, she wrote critically of Israeli "use of human shields, death squads and much more." The newsletter is described as a publication of the "US Marxist-Lenninist Organization," a far cry from what we would consider to be mainstream Republicanism.
Joshua Sharf, a resident of HD-6, says in his blog that Barakat Sinclair has shown "no public evidence of a conservative mindset, however defined, or any evidence that she has thought deeply or even at all about such issues as education, immigration, water, health care, taxes, energy, regulation or individual liberty."
While the conflict in the Middle East is an important issue, it carries little interest for Colorado voters in a state legislative election.
Republicans in HD-6 are going to have a hard enough time capturing the seat from Rep. Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, in a heavily Democrat district – the last thing they need is a candidate who at the least doesn’t even know the issues, and at worst associates with movements advocating political violence.