Politics

Swing State Confidential: Colorado?What (Senator) Do Women Want?

By Nancy Watzman

Denver, Colorado…This morning’s crop of political advertisements–collected while watching a half hour of morning news on channel 4, CBS–in the hot Colorado market included six political advertisements. Four were sponsored by candidates’ campaigns and one apiece from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee.

With Colorado’s Senate race still breathtakingly close, and the women’s vote considered key, the newish Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) ad focused on Buck’s stance on abortion, birth control, and his treatment of a rape case while he served as a prosecutor. An issue ad on a similar theme went up on the air last week, sponsored by Women’s Voices Women Vote Action Fund.

Here’s what I saw:

8:50 a.m. “Betsy Markey put Nancy Pelosi ahead of us 94 percent of the time. She voted for health care and the stimulus.” This ad comes directly from the Cory Gardner campaign; the race, however, has also drawn $2.6 million in reported outside spending so far. the Markey v. Gardner matchup is in the “lean Republican” column according to The Cook Political Report. Find Gardner ads on Sunlight CAM here.

Next up was an ad from Ryan Frazier’s campaign; Frazier is challenging Democratic incumbent Ed Perlmutter and the race has gotten close and has  attracted more than $2 million in reported outside spending. “I’m Ryan Frazier and I approve this message.  Why is Ed Perlmutter doing cartwheels? He used his office to sneak in legislation to help a bank he partially owns. He voted for billions in bank bailouts that gave bonuses to corporate executives on Wall Street. Now they are financing his campaign.” See Frazier’s ads on Sunlight CAM here.

8:53 a.m. The DSCC’s hit against Ken Buck.  “He doesn’t get it.” We’ve been using birth control for decades, but he’s supported making common forms of birth control illegal. “He doesn’t get it.” Buck wants to make abortion illegal even in the most dire circumstances. He refused to prosecute a rape case; the victim said he blamed her. The DSCC has reported dropping $6.3 million on ads opposing Buck, more than any other candidate this election. Sunlight CAM link here.

8:54 a.m. “Career politician”  Cory Gardner wants to put a tax on the wind. “It’s true, Gardner’s bill called for taxing the wind that blows across Coloradans private property.” I’ve seen this one from the Markey campaign before. Sunlight CAM link here.

8:56 a.m. The National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (NRSC) comes in swinging against Bennet with an ad attacking him on reckless spending. This one has been airing for awhile. “Michael Bennet, he spends, we pay.” The NRSC has reported spending more on ads opposing Bennet–more than $3 million–than any other candidate. Here’s the Sunlight CAM link.

8:59 a.m. The next ad is from the Buck campaign. “We protested when goverment ran up debt, sent emails when they nationalized health care, we asked them to get off backs of small business, pleaded to secure our border. They heard us but they ignored us. On Nov. 2 they will ignore us no more.”  Sunlight CAM link here.

See previous installments of “Swing State Confidential: Colorado” here.

Full post as published by Sunlight Foundation on October 25, 2010 (boomark / email).