Bentley Rayburn

What's a little margin of error between candidates? In today's Inside Edge we show how one of the candidates in the 5th CD told a little fib about some polling numbers they released on May 8th. Is it desperation? Or desperately funny. You decide.

Hal BidlackNo Democrat has ever been elected to Congress from Colorado's 5th Congressional District since the district was created in 1972, but Hal Bidlack is confident he can change that this year. A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, Bidlack is running unopposed for the Democratic CD-5 nomination against the winner of a three-way GOP primary between incumbent U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs), Jeff Crank, and Bentley Rayburn.

In today's Monday Morning Politicking, Bidlack talks about why he thinks he can win in a heavily Republican district, his adventures dressing up as Alexander Hamilton, and his experience being in the Pentagon during the September 11 terrorist attack.

Who's Doug Lamborn's worst nightmare in the CD-5 GOP primary? The answer depends on which opposition campaign you ask.

The campaigns of Jeff Crank and Bentley Rayburn each released polls this week showing their candidate in second place to Lamborn, the incumbent U.S. Representative.

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain on Friday blasted a new Democratic National Committee television ad quoting him as saying the Iraq War could take "100 years" to end, saying the ad was a "direct falsification."

McCain, speaking at a health care "town hall" at the Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center in Denver, also touted his health care plan and shot back at critics of his proposed suspension of the federal gas tax this summer.

Who's up? Who's down? Check out our picks for this week's major political players, the winners and the losers.

CD-5 Republican candidate Bentley Rayburn's campaign Tuesday released a sizeable list of endorsements from retired military personnel.

The list includes Peter Teets, former Undersecretary of the Air Force, four retired generals, four ex-lieutenant generals, seven ex-major generals, and three brigadier generals, among others.

Most of the endorsers were in the Air Force; Rayburn is a retired Air Force major general and former president of the Air War College.

U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs) spent $135,606 on taxpayer-funded constituent mailings in 2007 - almost twice as much as any other Colorado congressperson spent on franking, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported Tuesday.

Lamborn used the money to send letters to district residents, conduct "teletown hall" meetings with constituents on the phone and mail at least 10 full-color mail pieces that resemble campaign brochures and state his positions on defense, family issues, immigration and security, according to the Gazette.

U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs) raised $76,319 for the first quarter of 2008, giving him $179,411 cash-on-hand, ColoradoPols reported Tuesday.

Reached by phone while driving Tuesday afternoon, Lamborn manager Robin Coran said those numbers "sounded about right."

CD-5 GOP candidate Bentley Rayburn's campaign on Monday launched the first in what is promised to be a regular series of online video endorsements by CD-5 officials and residents.

The first YouTube endorsement video features Connie Scott Solomon, who was chief of staff for former U.S. Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colorado Springs).  read more »