Not an election year goes by without candidates grumbling about their yard signs being stolen. This year is proving to be no exception.
Sign snatchers are becoming increasingly bold - daring to take signs in broad daylight and, in some cases, before a homeowner's eyes.
Since the August 12 primary, unions and third parties have stepped up involvement in Colorado's House and Senate races. Last month saw thousands of union dollars pour into Democrat coffers, translating into fancy mail pieces hitting suburban voting households multiple times each week.
August 8th Update: With primaries less than a week away, contested partisan races have seen money pour in. Third parties are stepping up involvement in local races, and hard hitting 527 mail is showing up in mailboxes around the state. Meanwhile, candidates are trying to max out their donor lists and hit as many houses as possible before Election Day.
As election day approaches, candidates are now required to report their financial status every two weeks. Contributions and spending are on the rise, which means yards signs will be popping up around the state and voters in targeted districts are going to start seeing a lot of campaign mail.
The latest campaign finance reports are in. Among the highlights: Significant union contributions are beginning to flow into highly contested districts. Some candidates are beginning to print fliers and send out mail, others have focused efforts on getting their websites up and running, and many are busy knocking on doors. It is clear that election season has arrived, and the money trail helps tell the story.
Face The State analyzes the most recent campaign finance filings in the most competitive state legislative districts.
With Democrats heading to Denver this August for their national convention, all eyes will be on western states, including Colorado, as models for how the left can win over conservative and moderate voters here. Republicans now say they are ready to fight back and while the money chase will be tough, leaders say they are putting together a ground game that will, in part, exploit a multitude of fee and tax increases passed by the Democrat-led legislature.