Lt. Gov. Lynne places her mark on governor bid with a tattoo
In the back room of a tattoo parlor in downtown Denver, reclined in a chair under the mounted head of an antelope, Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne sat comfortably.
On her left arm, near the shoulder, a tattoo artist colored the “C” logo from the Colorado flag and imprinted three words. A video camera, positioned near a slumbering boa constrictor, captured the scene for a future campaign commercial.
“A little bit of inspiration every day for me to look at,” she said.
This is where a long-shot bid for governor in a crowded Democratic primary has taken the state’s No. 2 official. Determined to show her devotion to Colorado and the job she wants to win, the 64-year-old may be the first major-party candidate for a top office to get a tattoo as part of her campaign.
And the move — what some may label a political stunt — recalls the campaign of the man she wants to replace, Gov. John Hickenlooper, who showered in a business suit to grab attention in his 2010 race.
Lynne’s campaign is mum about plans for the video footage. The campaign wanted to keep the tattoo secret — Lynne didn’t even tell her husband or children, left alone the governor, about her plans.
So the arrival of a Denver Post reporter at Old Larimer Street Tattoo during the filming one recent after- noon caused a commotion. But the candidate, wearing a sleeveless teal dress and gold necklace with pearls, appeared unfazed. This is Lynne’s third tattoo.
“I think tattoos can say powerful things about you, and maybe you internalize their message,” she said. “So part of this is about being bold, and being a fighter, being fearless.”
What do the other tattoos say, and where are they located? “If I told you, I’d have to kill you,” she said with a sly smile, as tattoo artist Matt Schiel dabbed little capsules of ink and pressed the buzzing machine to her skin.
The idea for the tattoo, Lynne said, came weeks earlier while she visited small businesses as part of her “Meet Me on Main Street” voter outreach effort. “It’s just a way to connect to people,” she said.
The campaign picked Old Larimer Street Tattoo using Yelp reviews, and the studio agreed to let them film the ad. (For the record, she said she took vacation time for the visit.)
The details of the tattoo itself were more difficult. Lynne and her team debated what words to put on the tattoo.
The final decision, she said, represents “what a strong governor needs to do.”
In all capital letters, it says: “Fight for Colorado.”