Will Shafroth

More PolitickerCO.com coverage: Polis completes comeback, wins CO-2 Democratic primary

Even a couple months ago, things didn't seem so great for Jared Polis.

But the Boulder online entrepreneur came back in a big way Tuesday night, capturing the Democratic nomination in the 2nd Congressional District. With scant opposition expected in the general election, the win almost certainly means Polis will take a seat in Congress next January.

With 452 of 457 precincts reporting, Polis nabbed 41.7 percent of the vote. Former state Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald had 38 percent of the vote, while environmentalist Will Shafroth won 20.3 percent.

Polis' victory came in large part because of big wins in Boulder, Broomfield, and - especially -- Adams Counties. In Adams County, preliminary numbers showed that Polis beat Fitz-Gerald by almost 1,200 votes - two-thirds of Polis' total victory margin.

DENVER -- With Tuesday's Primary Day, PolitickerCO.com analyzes the top contests in Colorado. Will Jared Polis' ad barrage help him trump Joan Fitz-Gerald in the 2nd Congressional District? Can Doug Lamborn do it again in the 5th District over the same names he beat in 2006? Has Mike Coffman really put the 6th District race away? And, oh yeah -- turns out there's a GOP primary in the 1st District, too.

Second Congressional District Democratic candidate Will Shafroth's second television ad, which began airing on cable Tuesday, highlights his recent endorsement by the Rocky Mountain News.

The ad is part of what Shafroth manager Lynea Hansen called a "significant" cable ad buy; it will also be aired on broadcast TV in the coming days, she said.

Full transcript of the ad, after the jump.

The Rocky Mountain News on Friday endorsed Will Shafroth in the 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary, calling him “a professional conservationist who could add a needed perspective to the Washington debate.”

But the editorial spent more time blasting the other two CO-2 Democratic candidates – Joan Fitz-Gerald and Jared Polis – than it did praising Shafroth.

ShafrothSecond Congressional District Democratic candidate Will Shafroth continued to rake in campaign contributions in the second quarter of 2008, taking in $280,218 for the quarter, his campaign said Wednesday.

That’s a slight improvement over 1Q 2008, when he led all CO-2 candidates by bringing in $279,710 in contributions.

Shafroth ended the second quarter with $735,929.80 cash-on-hand, according to spokesperson Lynea Hansen.

Second Congressional District candidates Joan Fitz-Gerald and Jared Polis are joining Will Shafroth on the air, as both campaigns announced the release of TV advertisements Wednesday.

Full transcripts of both ads, after the jump.

Second Congressional District Democratic candidate Will Shafroth released his first television ad of the campaign Monday.

Called "Tackle," Shafroth, sitting on the sidelines of a neighborhood football field, touts his abilty to unite people to solve problems as red- and blue-jerseyed football players collide with each other.

The ad will run in CO-2 through the August 12 primary election, his campaign said in a release.

Full transcript of the ad, after the jump.

The Fourth of July is about fireworks, barbecuing, parades and -- of course -- politicking.

After the jump, check out where Colorado candidates for U.S. Senate and Congress will be on America's birthday.

In today's Inside Edge, Wally takes a look at some hypotheical political match-ups. Warning: we won't responsible for the nightmares you have after reading this column.