In an otherwise sleepy primary election season, many north Jeffco region Republican voters have only one statewide contest on which to vote, and it has proven to be contentious.

The fight for the Colorado University Board of Regents has already seen some mudslinging, as well as a touch of scandal.

Listed first on the ballot is Matt Arnold, a business consultant in Arapahoe County and a captain in the Colorado Army National Guard.

He is likely best known for founding the political-advocacy organization Clear the Bench Colorado, which aims to vote judges out of office for what the group calls unconstitutional rulings.

Arnold’s opponent is Arvada resident Brian Davidson, an assistant professor of anesthesiology, teaching and practicing medicine at the University of Colorado Hospital School of Medicine.

He ran for the same regents chair in 2006 against Democrat Stephen Ludwig, losing by less than 1 percent of the votes.

The winner of the primary contest will face Ludwig in the general election this fall.

On the surface, Arnold and Davidson have almost identical platforms: promising to rein in soaring tuition costs, providing a quality education for future CU graduates, and supporting conservative principals such as opposing the controversial on-campus firearms ban.

Both candidates also had split endorsements from the Republicans on the six-person regents board.

Arnold received support from regents James Geddes and Sue Sharkey, until recent scandals caused them to remove their support, while Davidson was backed by regents Steve Bosley and Kyle Hybl.

In terms of their approach however, the two differ greatly.

Davidson paints himself as someone familiar to the CU system who can help steer it to a brighter future.

“I can sit down and can talk to people, listen to people. I would be a regent that the party could be proud of,” he said.

Arnold, on the other hand, admits he can be perceived as abrasive. However, he said, holding fast to principles and fighting to affect real change is what the Board of Regents needs, not another “rubber stamp Republican.”

“We’re reaching crisis level in higher education in Colorado. People will play good cop to my bad cop, but the boat does need to be rocked,” Arnolds said.

Arnold has also been critical of Davidson’s current employment within the CU medical system and the amount of campaign contributions he has received from fellow CU medical professionals.

“It’s just such a conflict of interest on a myriad of levels. And, you can’t reform a system from the inside,” Arnold said.

In rebuttal, Davidson said that his salary does not come out of the university system’s general fund, and that “being too familiar with the CU system” is not a negative.

“When you have a board, they have to be associated with the subject matter at hand in some way or they would be incompetent,” he said.