DCCC

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.

U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave's latest television ad subjects a Betsy Markey stand-in to a lie detector test about Markey's business dealings.

Meanwhile, a new Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee television ad released over the weekend hits U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave for "putting special interests ahead of" U.S. troops.

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).

FORT MORGAN--Fourth Congressional District Democratic nominee Betsy Markey will have to stop television advertising before the end of the week for lack of money, according to a fundraising letter sent out Monday by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

"If we don't act now, in just 72 hours, Betsy will no longer be able to afford television ads, just as national Republicans are moving in to help Congresswoman (Marilyn) Musgrave stay on the air," U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated in the fundraising letter.

Markey manager Anne Caprara said her campaign "will find out in the next three or four days" whether that prediction comes true.

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.

Congressional candidate Betsy Markey: Campaign PhotoThe Democratic Congressional Campaign Commitee has reserved $667,000 worth of TV ad time in the 4th Congressional District, Real Clear Politics is reporting.

The ad buy of about 2,000 points is part of a $34.5 million media blitz by the cash-flush DCCC in 31 House races around the country, according to RCP's Reid Wilson.

In a boost to her campaign for congress, former Larimer County Democratic Party chair Betsy Markey (D-Fort Collins) was selected Wednesday morning as one of 13 new candidates in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Red to Blue Program."

The program is designed to target vulnerable Republican incumbents by bringing raising money for qualified Democratic challengers. In 2006, the program raised nearly $22.6 million, with an average of $404,000 given to each participating candidate.

If this amount of money was donated to Markey's campaign, it would help to close the funding gap between her and her opponent, incumbent U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R - Fort Morgan). As of March 31, Musgrave had raised $624,000 more than Markey.