U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) is dedicating August to a series of meetings throughout Colorado, which will bring him “all over the state, corner to corner.”
Yet, no public meetings have been announced by Gardner or on his website.
“We will be going all over the state, corner to corner. Traditionally, we’ve done a big Eastern Plains, Western Slope tour during August, where we meet with local communities’ leaders, round tables, businesses–find out what’s on people’s minds, what’s working, what’s not working, how Congress can do a better job,” Gardner told KNUS 710-AM host Randy Corporon last week.
“And I’ll repeat it. We need more Colorado in Washington, less Washington in Colorado. And I think that’s exactly what I’ve tried to do every step of the way.
And that’s exactly how we’ll use August, is to figure out how do do just that.”
Gardner’s office did not return a call asking if he’d hold any public meetings during his August tour of Colorado.
In past Colorado tours, Gardner has aggressively promoted his private meetings, and even posted photos and descriptions of what he did, after the events took place, creating the perception that meeting with Gardner is easy, constant, and fun.
Here’s an example, among others, from April of how Gardner promotes his meetings during a Colorado tour after the fact:
GARDNER: Today I hosted a business forum in Loveland alongside the Northern Colorado Manufacturing Partnership & small business leaders. Thx to all those who joined to give feedback on ways the federal government can better support workforce development & protect against cyber threats.
Gardner’s opponents, as well as journalists, have criticized Gardner for talking with friendly audiences, on talk radio, for example, while dodging questions from reporters and the wider public.