Wes Clark and Jay Fawcett

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I am very pleased that we received the endorsement of General Wes Clark! This endorsement means a lot to me given the fact General Clark commanded the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, and the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor, 4th Infantry Division at Ft. Carson. He is someone who understands the men and women who have served and retired in CD5.

About Jay Fawcett

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The son of a steelworker and a nurse, Jay Fawcett's early life was spent in Monongahela, Pennsylvania where he learned that hard work and dedication are the keys to success. Achieving the status of Eagle Scout and being an active member of Grace Lutheran Church, Jay gained an appreciation of being a part of his community. Service to America and Americans was and still is the underlining theme of the Fawcett family.

At seventeen, Jay arrived in Colorado Springs, reporting to the Air Force Academy as a Cadet with the class of 1977. Upon graduation he went to Navigator training and was selected as a Weapon Systems Officer in the F4 Phantom, serving in fighter squadrons in Korea and Spain. Jay left Spain in 1983 for the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University completing the degree requirements for an MBA in 1985.

Wanting to give back to the young people who would follow in his footsteps, then Captain Fawcett joined the faculty of the Air Force Academy in June of 1985. This stay lasted three years on the faculty and one year as the Academy's headquarters squadron commander.

On May 6, 1989 Jay married the fiery redheaded, outspoken Susan O'Connell at the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel. Soon after their wedding they were transferred to Fort Campbell, KY where Jay served as the Air Liaison Officer for the First Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division. He was deployed into military action in the first Gulf War. Serving in Desert Shield and the initial helicopter assault into Iraq during Desert Storm, Major Fawcett was awarded a Bronze Star for his actions.

The end of Desert Storm brought a new assignment for the Fawcett family. Relocating to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia where Jay earned the coveted position of working on the staff of the Deputy Commander for Operations of Air Combat Command and was promoted to Lt Colonel.

Leaving Virginia in 1994, the family moved on to Hurlburt Field in Florida. Jay developed a training program for theater level air campaign planning and Susan started an art school. Their daughter, Elizabeth, graduated from Fort Walton Beach High School and their very active son, John, spent his days swimming in the Gulf of Mexico with Fawcett family's newest addition, a black lab mix named Captain Hook.

In 1998, after serving his country in combat and during the Cold War, Lt Colonel Fawcett retired from the Air Force and went to work as a defense contractor. Returning to Colorado Springs, Jay began working at US Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base. In 2003, the family welcomed a new addition to the family, Ms. Smee, a black terrier mix, who is absolutely convinced she is the center of the universe.

Fawcett awaits

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Turning on the Fawcett

Seeking the impossible dream: unseating Hefley

December 8, 2005

By Michael de Yoanna | Colorado Springs Independent

El Paso County Sheriff John Anderson, who was ushered into the assembly by a Scottish bagpipe band, received 13 percent of votes — short of the 30 percent to earn him an automatic spot on the ballot. He is expected to gather the 1,000 signatures needed to petition on.

Four other Republicans sidestepped the assembly: Colorado Springs resident A.J. Towne, Mayor Lionel Rivera, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Bentley Rayburn and former El Paso County Commissioner Duncan Bremer. All could petition on.

The Republican who emerges from the primary will face Democrat Jay Fawcett, a policy analyst for U.S. Northern Command and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who fought in the first Gulf war. Fawcett has said he seeks to raise a record $800,000 for Democrats in a race where he would need all of the roughly 87,000 Democratic voters and 112,000 of its 126,000 unaffiliated voters to win.

A recent poll commissioned by his campaign found that 70 percent of local voters disapprove of the direction of the Republican-led Congress, and that 63 percent would consider voting for a Democrat. The poll showed Fawcett trailing a generic Republican candidate by 8 percent, with 40 percent of voters undecided.

Retired General Wesley Clark Takes Colorado by Storm in Support Of Jay Fawcett, Candidate, Congressional District 5

Retired General Wesley Clark Takes Colorado by Storm in Support Of Jay Fawcett, Candidate, Congressional District 5

Monday July 17, 10:00 am ET

Clark to Headline Events in Boulder and Colorado Springs; Fawcett to Release Policy Statement on Iraq and the War on Terrorism.

COLORADO SPRINGS, July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- War hero, military leader and former Presidential Candidate Wesley K. Clark will sweep the Front Range this Wednesday July 19, in support of Jay Fawcett, Democratic candidate for Congressional District 5.

Clark, a leading voice on U.S. national security issues, and a powerful advocate for new, innovative solutions to the domestic and international challenges facing America, said Fawcett is "just the kind of leader Colorado deserves to have in Washington, DC."

"Jay Fawcett is a decorated veteran and a fighting Democrat, and I am proud to put my support behind a man who has served his country with such integrity," said Clark, who led the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson from 1980-1982. "His honorable service in the United States Air Force, his work in the private sector and his life as a family man provide Jay with the experience and perspective we need on Capitol Hill in these trying times at home and abroad."

During the day-long series of campaign events, Fawcett will also stand shoulder-to-shoulder with General Clark in announcing a new policy statement on the war on terrorism and raising questions about the results of four years of combat operations in Iraq.

"By asking these questions and speaking out on the issues which directly impact so many citizens of Colorado Springs, we are not being disrespectful, unpatriotic, or unsupportive. We are being Americans," said Fawcett. "We deserve some answers."

Wednesday's event schedule includes two public events:

Breakfast with the General & Jay

The Boulder County Democratic Party and the Democratic Women of Boulder County will host a buffet breakfast with General Clark and Jay Fawcett, from 8:30 to 10 a.m., at the Spice of Life Event Center, located at the Flatirons Golf Course, 5706 Arapahoe Road, Boulder, CO. Cost is $25. General Clark will arrive and speak shortly after 9 a.m. He will take questions after speaking. Seating is limited. Please RSVP to boucher.susan@gmail.com or 303-641-8981.

A VIP Luncheon hosted by Melat, Pressman & Higbie

Susan and Justin Melat, Jane and Alan Higbie, and Glenn Pressman and Laura Feldman will host a VIP Luncheon with Special Guest General Clark and Jay Fawcett, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. $250 Contribution Due to limited seating, RSVP is required. For more information contact the campaign at info@fawcett4congress.com or call (719) 510-8201.

The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA)

The Retired Enlisted Association will welcome two of its own, when Clark and Fawcett visit TREA headquarters, 834 Emory Circle, Colorado Springs, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. The event will be free and open to the public, so please arrive early, as the space is limited! For more information contact the campaign at info@fawcett4congress.com or call (719) 510-8201. With its focus on enhancing the quality of life for uniformed services enlisted personnel, their families and survivors, and stopping the erosion of earned benefits, TREA provides valuable services to military personnel.

"I am proud to work hard in support of Jay Fawcett in his campaign to lead the people of Colorado Springs and the 5th Congressional District," said Clark. "He will be part of Colorado's Team in Washington with my friend Senator Salazar to stand up and give people the peace of mind of knowing that government is doing its work while they are doing theirs."

About Jay Fawcett

Colorado Springs resident Jay Fawcett is the Democratic candidate for the 5th Congressional District. As the Democratic nominee, Fawcett has been endorsed by Senator Ken Salazar, Senator John Kerry, Senator Max Cleland, and General Hugh Shelton, Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff to name a few. Please visit www.fawcett4congress.com to see complete list.

Fawcett is a graduate, former professor, and a former headquarters' squadron commander of the Air Force Academy. Fawcett was deployed into military action in the first Gulf War serving in Desert Shield and the initial helicopter assault into Iraq during Desert Storm. Fawcett was awarded a Bronze Star for his actions. At Langley Air Force Base in Virginia Jay served on the staff of the Deputy Commander for Operations of Air Combat Command. In 1998, after serving his country in combat and during the Cold War, Lt Col Fawcett retired from the Air Force and began working at US Northern Command at Peterson Air Force Base.

About Wesley K. Clark

Wesley Clark, a retired four-star general in the U.S. Army, was a 2004 Democratic candidate for president and is a potential candidate for 2008. Prior to that, Clark enjoyed a distinguished 34-year career in the Army and Department of Defense. As the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO from 1997 to 2000, Clark commanded Operation Allied Force in the Kosovo conflict. Before this, he had a distinguished career in the Army and the Department of Defense. Currently, Clark leads WesPAC, a political action committee dedicated to electing Democrats to office, and providing leadership on U.S. national security issues.

Turning on the Fawcett

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Turning on the Fawcett

Seeking the impossible dream: unseating Hefley

December 8, 2005

By Michael de Yoanna | Colorado Springs Independent

UPDATE: Hefley calls it a career

Jay Fawcett at his 50th birthday party-slash-campaign fund-raiser on Nov. 30 at Jack Quinn’s pub downtown.

Jay Fawcett sits in Poor Richard's, sipping coffee and making calls on his cell phone. The night before, at his 50th birthday party, he glad-handed at Jack Quinn's pub.

This is what it's like to run a campaign for Congress.

As a Democrat in the Pikes Peak region, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 2 to 1, Fawcett says he'll have to raise a historic amount of money -- $800,000 -- to win.

"No, I'm not crazy," he says.

No Democrat ever has won the 5th Congressional District, where Republican Joel Hefley has been safely seated for nearly two decades -- too safely for Fawcett's liking.

"After 10 elections to office, he chairs no major committees, he has no major leadership role," Fawcett says. "I ask this: Where is he? What is he doing for you?"

A senior policy analyst for U.S. Northern Command and retired lieutenant colonel who fought in the first Gulf war, Fawcett enters a race rife with speculation that Hefley will retire next year. One local Republican, former El Paso County Sheriff John Wesley Anderson, has formed an exploratory committee to study the viability of running for the seat, including possibly challenging Hefley in a primary.

"We haven't backed off of the idea of a run against him," Anderson says.

Hefley is expected to announce in the coming weeks whether or not he will run, says spokeswoman Kim Sears.

War experience

Meanwhile Fawcett, the son of a Pennsylvania steel worker and a 1977 Air Force Academy graduate, already is in high gear. He's been calling friends to tell them about his campaign and knocking on doors to tell others about himself.

He draws on his experiences as an air liaison officer in the first Gulf war, and the current war in Iraq figures big in his campaign. Fawcett hasn't joined Democrats in demanding that President Bush withdraw troops from Iraq. But he criticizes Bush for failing to clearly identify objectives and goals there. He also objects to the Bush administration's use of National Guard troops outside U.S. borders.

"Some of them are going into combat, urban combat, for the second, third, even now, fourth, time," he says. "That's not what they signed up for."

Many soldiers, he says, are coming back from Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder, or are coping with permanent injuries, like the loss of a limb, but aren't getting all the help they need from Veterans Affairs. He says he'd work to see at least $1.3 billion go to the VA. Fawcett also wants to preserve Social Security, and he backs a woman's right to choose.

It would be an unprecedented coup for him to win.

If all the district's Republicans voted strictly along party lines, Fawcett would need all of the roughly 87,000 Democrats, and 112,000 of its 126,000 unaffiliated voters, to vote for him.

He hopes for support from moderate Republicans. To reach them, Fawcett is emphasizing general themes he hopes will resonate with voters -- change vs. status quo and an independent voice vs. rubber-stamping for the president.

Fawcett, who is married with two grown children, says Colorado Springs has gotten a bad rap.

"The myth has been promulgated through the country that this is the bastion of evangelical conservatism and the right wing," Fawcett says. "It isn't."

So far, he's raised about $51,000, mostly in small donations from friends -- already a record amount for a party that in the past has relied on low-budget candidates like Curtis Imrie, an activist who campaigned with a donkey in 2000. On average, Democrats have spent just $4,650 to battle Hefley in each campaign since 1998, according to an Independent analysis of federal campaign-finance records.

Watching closely

Hefley, meanwhile, has spent an average of $117,000 to in the last four elections, and currently has $95,000 in hand.

Sears, his spokeswoman, notes that Democrats haven't given Hefley much of a fight over the years. However, considering the amount of money Fawcett's raised so far, they are watching closely.

"The congressman doesn't really enjoy raising money," Sears says. "But he will do what it takes."

Fawcett campaign manager Wanda James hopes to place pressure on Hefley that he never has faced in the past, including airing television, radio and newspaper advertisements to boost Fawcett's name recognition and educate voters.

"It's going to be fun to watch," James says. "Can [Hefley] really run a serious race?"

Fawcett also hopes to grab the notice of the national Democratic Party. The party is expected to funnel millions of dollars into perceived close races like that in Colorado's 4th Congressional District, where Democratic state legislator Angie Paccione is looking to unseat Republican Rep. Marilyn Musgrave. The 7th Congressional District, which Bob Beauprez is leaving to run for governor, also is expected to generate interest.

That kind of attention has eluded the Fawcett campaign to date.

Pat Waak, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party, says national funding usually kicks in once a candidate has raised roughly $250,000 -- and when a candidate has demonstrated he or she might win.