NRCC

More than $3.6 million has been dropped in the 4th Congressional District race by political parties and interest groups -- the third-highest amount spent by independent groups in any U.S. House race in the country.

Most of the spending has come from three groups - both parties' political fundraising arms, as well as the pro-environmental group Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund, according to the Fort Collins Coloradoan.

Independent spending against incumbent U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Fort Morgan) has topped spending against Democratic opponent Betsy Markey by almost a 2.5-1 margin, the Coloradoan reported.

UPDATED 4:58 P.M. 10/22/2008

The National Republican Campaign Committee is canceling its advertising buy in the 4th Congressional District, records from a local television station show.

The NRCC will stop running ads for the race as of October 28. It had reserved an estimated $378,750 worth of time between then and Election Day for Denver-area broadcast TV stations, according to records from KUSA-TV.

The group will continue to run ads in support of U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Fort Morgan) on local TV stations this week.

As expected, both parties' national congressional fundraising arms released new negative television ads Tuesday in the 4^th Congressional District race.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's ad hits incumbent U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Fort Morgan) as being in the pocket of special interests.

The National Republican Congressional Committee's ad renews attacks by Musgrave's campaign questioning whether Markey broke the law by co-owning an information technology company that received government contracts while she worked as a staffer for U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Denver).

Both parties' national congressional fundraising arms will likely be muscling in the 4th Congressional District race soon, according to the Fort Collins Coloradoan.

Both the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee have six-figure television ad buys slated to start as soon as today on Denver market broadcast stations.

And in remarks at the National Press Club on Friday, DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen and former NRCC Chair Tom Davis both indicated the 4th Congressional District will be a battleground in the final three weeks of the 2008 campaign.

WASHINGTON – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall says comments he made on NBC’s Meet the Press last week were misconstrued as him suggesting that embattled U.S. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) should step down from his seat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

“My quotes were misreported,” Udall said in a brief interview outside the Capitol Friday morning, where he was to cast his vote on the financial rescue package coming before the House. “I said, in effect, that if I were in Mr. Rangel’s shoes I might step aside. But it’s up to Mr. Rangel. He’s an American hero, he’s an enormous asset to the Congress...”

Rangel, a nineteen-term congressman from New York City, is facing mounting questions over his finances. The Democrat has said he will pay $5,000 in unpaid back taxes on a beach vacation home he owns in the Dominican Republic. Rangel is also facing questions about owning four rent-controlled New York City apartments at below-market rates and using congressional stationary to solicit funds for the construction of an academic center bearing his name.

WASHINGTON – National Republican Congressional Committee chair Tom Cole is set to launch a three-week national tour of house races, including a stop in Colorado.

While the schedule is still tentative, according to an NRCC source familiar with the plans, the trip will bring Cole to Colorado’s 6th Congressional district, where Republican Mike Coffman is running against Democrat Hank Eng. The trip is scheduled for Oct. 20.

Cole, a third term congressman from Oklahoma who is in his first stint as the GOP House campaign chief, is a top fundraising draw for House candidates across the country.

The National Republican Congressional Committee reserved more than $1 million in TV spots Tuesday, the Fort Collins Coloradoan is reporting.

That trumps the $667,000 put into the race by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee last month on behalf of Betsy Markey, who has overcome early skepticism to pose a serious challenge to incumbent U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Fort Morgan).

Spending is well ahead of where it was at this point in the race two years ago, when Musgrave and Democratic opponent Angie Paccione spent more than $9 million combined.