Hal Bidlack

U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn's campaign is preparing for its "biggest literature drop ever" this weekend in anticipation of mail-in ballots being sent out to voters next week.

In an email sent out to Lamborn supporters Tuesday, manager Robin Coran said volunteers were needed to stuff and distribute literature to more than 20,000 homes on behalf of Lamborn, GOP presidential nominee John McCain, and Republican U.S. Senate nominee Bob Schaffer.

"This is to reach the homes of the voters just before the mail-in ballots are sent out," Coran wrote in the email, which was titled "Biggest Most Important Volunteer Opportunity Ever."

One of two 5th Congressional District debates is up in the air, as Democrat Hal Bidlack is holding out for another debate with U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs) in the next couple weeks.

A radio debate had been scheduled between the two candidates on Oct. 28 on the Richard Randall Show on KVOR-AM.

But Bidlack spokesperson Christy Le Lait said Thursday that the Colorado Springs Democrat would not participate in that debate unless Lamborn agreed to a second radio debate on Randall's show sometime in late September or early October.

After a false start by U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs) two weeks ago, two 5th Congressional District debates have been agreed on between Lamborn and Democratic opponent Hal Bidlack in late October.

The first debate will be held on KVOR-AM radio on the Richard Randall show the morning of Oct. 28, according to Lamborn spokesperson Catherine Mortensen.

The second debate will be held at Sand Creek High School on Oct. 30, said Bidlack spokesperson Christy Le Lait said. It will be sponsored by the Republican Club of Falcon.

DENVER – Here in Denver, it was Colorado politicians that controlled the podium at the VETPAC forum for military veteran congressional candidates. The reception, which was hosted by a slate of elected veterans and their supporters in Congress, was keynoted by U.S. Rep. John Salazar (D-Manassa).

Salazar gave a passionate, and at times, emotional address focusing on his commitment to veterans that stemmed from the pride his late father had in serving his country.

The 3rd Congressional District Democrat told of his hardscrabble childhood and how, later in his life when his father, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, asked to be buried in his military uniform.

“The reason I tell this story is that it is difficult for veterans,” Salazar said, noting that his father in his old age had forgotten many things, including simple day-to-day activities. “But there are two things he never forgot. He never forgot how much he loved this country, and how proud he was of his service to this great country."

Hal Bidlack and Doug Lamborn both say they want to debate each other - but there seem to be some early problems about getting a debate plan set up.

Despite accusatory press releases from both sides, however, the two 5th Congressional District nominees both seem ready to set something up.

Bidlack, the Democratic nominee, has proposed holding seven debates: two in El Paso County, and one in each of the other five counties in the 5th Congressional District.

Lamborn, the incumbent Republican U.S. representative, has advocated debating Bidlack "subject to agreeable ground rules," though he hasn't yet proposed a more specific debate structure.

No debate agreement is expected in the immediate future, as Lamborn is taking a few days off with his wife.

However, Lamborn spokesperson Catherine Mortensen said he's "anxious to review all the debate options in the coming weeks."

BidlackLamborn

With the 5th Congressional District general election ballot set, Hal Bidlack wants debates.

The Democratic nominee on Wednesday challenged his Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado Springs), to a series of seven debates this fall: two in El Paso County and one in each of the five other counties in the 5th District.

Lamborn's campaign will be soon issuing its own debate proposal; a spokesperson said the campaign should issue a release about debates sometime today.

DENVER -- Doug Lamborn has done it again. The first-term Republican U.S. representative from Colorado Springs, seen as vulnerable ever since a narrow primary win two years ago, won a decisive victory Tuesday against two of the same candidates he faced in 2006. The race was essentially over early in the evening, after the release of early and mail-in ballot totals showed Lamborn with a commanding 46 percent lead. Mail-in ballot support had helped put Lamborn over the top in the 2006 race as well, when he bested the second-place Jeff Crank by less than 1,000 votes in a six-way primary.

Fifth Congressional District Democratic candidate Hal Bidlack is rolling out some big names for a fundraiser Friday evening in Denver.

U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), former presidential candidate and retired Gen. Wesley Clark, former U.S. Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.), Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Denver), former U.S. Sen. Gary Hart (D-Colo.), and the entire Colorado Democratic Congressional delegation are on the host committee for the Bidlack fundraiser, scheduled for 5-7 p.m. Friday at the Patton Boggs Law Firm in Denver.

Jeff Crank, a Republican candidate for Colorado's 5th Congressional District, added his name to a petition Friday that counters a Democratic proposal to adopt a congressional rule regarding where members can post videos on the Internet. 

Crank said the initiative is not cost effective and hinders the ability for elected leaders and their constituents to communicate, adding that he would support the petition's originator, U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), in any situation that Crank felt would "limit communication between members of Congress and their constituents."

Both presidential campaigns trotted out Colorado military veterans on Monday: McCain's camp to unveil a new state veterans campaign group, Obama's to answer a recent negative television ad by McCain.

In Denver, CO-5 Democratic candidate and retired Air Force Lt. Col. Hal Bidlack and Colorado Veterans' Alliance President Rick Duncan joined other veterans in blasting presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

Less than an hour later, in Colorado Springs, the McCain camp unveiled Colorado Veterans for John McCain, a campaign constituency group headed by, among others, former U.S. Sen. Hank Brown (R-Colo.)