House

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.

CO-6 is all the rage in a sloooow news week, producing winners and a loser; and a general mishap with his tongue pushes a General into the losers' ranks. So check in with Wally Edge for Weekly Winners & Losers. You won't want to miss the fireworks.

Fifth Congressional District Republican candidate Bentley Rayburn’s campaign has made its first media ad buys of the election cycle, purchasing both television and radio spots over the past couple weeks.

Rayburn’s first television ad, which began airing this week on broadcast and cable stations in Colorado Springs and Canon City, is an informational spot showing the retired Air Force general with his family and is interspersed with old photos of him in the military.

Congressional candidate Mike CoffmanSixth Congressional District Republican Mike Coffman will report raising more than $300,000 for the second quarter of 2008, his campaign announced Tuesday.

Coffman manager Dustin Zvonek told PolitickerCO.com that the campaign is still tabulating exact numbers for 2Q fundraising.

But already the campaign has easily bested Coffman's 1Q haul of $244,239, the campaign said in a release sent out Tuesday afternoon. Zvonek added that "the vast majority" of contributions is for the CO-6 Republican primary.

Federal candidates have until July 15 to submit 2Q fundraising reports to the Federal Election Commission.

Sixth Congressional District Republican candidate Ted Harvey has picked up an endorsement from the Credit Union Association of Colorado, Harvey's campaign announced Tuesday.

“No business group in Colorado has a more impressive and well organized grassroots mobilization network than the Credit Unions," Harvey said in a release sent out Tuesday. "To have their powerful backing combined with my authentic record of conservative leadership means Republican voters will be mobilized in my favor in time for early voting in just a couple of weeks."

In an enclosed CUAC press release dated June 24, CUAC president/CEO John Dill stated that “Ted Harvey understands the important role that credit unions play in providing high-quality financial services to one out of three Coloradoans.

"We are pleased to support his candidacy to serve the people of the 6th District in Congress," Dill said in the release.

In today's Inside Edge, we take a look at Colorado's 11th Governor, who was both a Confederate solider and a Democrat. He was also another proppnent of bi-metallism. Wow! 

U.S. Sen. Wayne AllardIt's official: U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Loveland) is backing Wil Armstrong in the 6th Congressional District Republican primary.

The endorsement, announced Monday, was not a surprise: earlier this month, Allard sent out a fundraising letter on Armstrong's behalf.

"In the many years that my wife Joan and I have known Wil, he has consistently demonstrated his conservative principles as a business leader, as an involved community member, and as a father," Allard said in a statement released Monday. "We need more leaders in Congress who have hired employees and grown businesses in the real world. Wil's business acumen, particularly relating to the current economic woes and financial turbulence, will make an impact in Congress."

In today's Inside Edge, we check in on the CO-6 race, because it gives us a good excuse to plug the CO-6 debate, sponsored by PolitickerCO. Our version even has the scenes deleted by PBS!

This Sunday at noon, Rocky Mountain PBS will broadcast a debate between the four Republican candidates for the 6th Congressional District.

The debate, held April 21 at the Southridge Recreation Center in Highlands Ranch, features businessman Wil Armstrong, Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman, state Sen. Ted Harvey (R-Highlands Ranch) and state Sen. Steve Ward (R-Littleton) discussing issues from the Iraq War and reinstating the draft to taxes and immigration.

The candidates fielded questions posed by a panel of journalists, including Peter Jones of the Littleton Independent, Chris Rotar of the Highlands Ranch Herald, and Jeremy Pelzer of PolitickerCO.com.

PolitickerCO.com and the Sagebrush Forum sponsored the debate. Former state Sen. John Evans hosted the debate; former state Republican Party finance committee chair Mark Baisley moderated.

The debate is already online at PolitickerCO.com.

You know its Friday because you get the latest comments, emails and threats from Wally's World. In this supersized edition of Feedback, we talk about polls and endorsements. But we promise that because of the use chemical sweeteners in this column, it won't affect your weight loss plan. So read all you want! It's the weekend.