Denver, Colorado...With the Senate race here considered closest in the nation, local officials are bracing for the possibility of needing to do a recount post-election.  The Senate race also continued to be the focus of most of the ads during the half hour of news I watched on channel 4 (CBS) this morning. Of the 11 ads I saw, five focused on the Senate campaign, and of those, three were paid for by outside groups--American Crossroads and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).

8:26 a.m.: from Democrat Rep. Ed Perlmutter's campaign: Frazier had a poor attendance record in office, his company helped outsource jobs. Sunlight CAM link here.

Democrat Rep. Betsy Markey points out that her opponent, Cory Gardner, has had to pull some of his attack ads for inaccuracy. Sunlight CAM link here.

8:28 a.m.: Michael Bennet campaign ad says that Ken Buck doesn't care if jobs are outsourced to other countries. See Bennet ads on Sunlight CAM link here.

8:48 a.m. Michael Bennet voted for Obama's failed stimulus; he was the deciding vote on "Obama-care." He's "their senator not ours." This one is from American Crossroads, which has spent more than $5.1 million on independent expenditures opposing Bennet; most recently it reported a $646,000 media buy on October 26.

The Ryan Frazier campaign says that the first two years of "change" have brought record deficits and corrupt politicians.

The NRSC runs a positive ad for Ken Buck, saying he has "deep Colorado roots," who will say "no" to reckless spending. In an echo of the negative American Crossroads ad above, the tag line is "He'll be our senator, not theirs." The NRSC has reported spending $4.2 million on ads opposing Bennet and $912,000 on ads supporting Buck. Where does the NRSC get its money to run such ads? Not from Colorado. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, top donors this election cycle--all giving more than $200,000--include the New York hedge firm Elliott Management, Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs, and Texas developer Perry Homes.

8:53 a.m.: Ken Buck's kids aren't as young as Bennet's but they still can do cute campaign ads. In this ad from the candidate's campaign, daughter Kaitlin, says her dad coached her brother Cody as well as her. Now Cody is at West Point, and Kaitlin is at Clemson. They're helping their dad's campaign, and it's not easy with all the negative ads. "Dad's always been there for us; he'll be there for Colorado too."

8:54 a.m.: Betsy Markey has voted with Nancy Pelosi 94 percent of the time! This ad from Cory Gardner has gotten very heavy air play, at least during my watch.

From the Ryan Frazier campaign, an ad saying he'll "restore common sense to Washington."

8:56 a.m. The NRSC ad on Buck and his "deep Colorado roots." See 8:48 a.m.

8:59 a.m. From the Betsy Markey campaign, an ad saying don't believe what you hear attack ads. Markey says "I have zero tolerance for Wall Street bailouts."

To see all installments of "Swing State Confidential," click here.

Denver, Colorado...With five days to go before Election Day, outside spending on Colorado's Senate race is now over $30 million, still top in the country. By far the biggest non-party outside spender here is American Crossroads, the newly formed "super PAC" that gets fundraising and advice from GOP political operative Karl Rove, which has reported spending a staggering $5.6 million. That's one-and-a-half times as much as would-be senator Ken Buck has collected for his campaign fund.

So it's no surprise that today's harvest of political advertisements, this time from viewing a half hour of morning news on channel 9 (NBC), includes an offering from American Crossroads, as it has most days. Today I saw eight advertisements; five were bought by candidates' campaigns, one by American Crossroads, and two by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).

Here's what I saw:

8:26 a.m. From the Betsy Markey campaign, an ad calling out her opponent Cory Gardner's attacks as a "disgrace" and pointing out that some of his ads were pulled from the air. (Gardner revised an ad against Markey after her campaign complained that it referenced her votes incorrectly, confusing her with Rep. Ed Markey, D., Mass.) Sunlight CAM links on Markey here.

8:29 a.m. The NRSC presents Ken Buck as a husband and father with "deep Colorado roots," who has said no to reckless spending and is a strong advocate for business. See Sunlight CAM link here.

8:34 a.m. From Cory Gardner campaign, ad says Betsy Markey has voted with Nancy Pelosi 94 percent of the time. Have seen this one lots.

8:36 a.m. Another shot from the NRSC, this ad saying, “Bennet is pushing for Obama’s over-reaching agenda.” The Denver Post referred to him with the phrase “not enough spine.” This one has been airing a lot.

8:41 a.m. The John Salazar campaign says his opponent, Scott Tipton supports radical budget, is no match for Salazar, who has looked out for his district and is a "good match." Sunlight CAM link here.

8:48 a.m. American Crossroads comes on with its ad proclaiming the Bennet is too close to Obama, that he was the deciding vote for "Obama-care," and ends with the tagline "Their senator, not ours."

8:49 a.m. Markey with her ad decrying Gardner's "negative acts," saying she has "zero tolerance for Wall Street bailouts."

8:58 a.m. Bennet is a businessman who has saved jobs, while Ken Buck is ok with jobs going overseas. This one is from the Bennet campaign.

To see all installments of "Swing State Confidential" click here.

Denver, Colorado...Today's yield of political ads delivered along with a half hour of morning news  (KDVR FOX 31) includes a half dozen ads. Two were sponsored by outside groups--American Crossroads and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The rest came from candidates' campaigns.

8:24 a.m. Senate candidate Ken Buck is running this ad a lot. “We protested when goverment ran up debt, sent emails when they nationalized health care, we asked them to get off backs of small business, pleaded to secure our border. They heard us but they ignored us. On Nov. 2 they will ignore us no more.”  Sunlight CAM link here.

8:29 a.m. American Crossroads, which has reported spending $5.1 million so far opposing Sen. Michael Bennet, including a $646,000 buy just yesterday, runs an ad claiming Bennet is close to President Barack Obama. "Obama needs Bennet." The tag line is: "Their senator, not ours." Sunlight CAM link here.

8:45 a.m. From the campaign of Rep. Ed Perlmutter, an ad claiming Frazier missed work  Sunlight CAM link here.

8:47 a.m. Another run of the Buck campaign ad about Washington "ignoring us no more." (See 8:24 a.m.)

8:59 a.m. Betsy Markey votes with Nancy Pelosi 94 percent of the time, from the Cory Gardner campaign. I have seen this one a lot. Sunlight CAM link here.

9:00 a.m. The National Republican Senatorial Committee has reported spending $4.1 million opposing Bennet so far; earlier this week the party committee reported $863,000. Today's ad says “Bennet is pushing for Obama’s over-reaching agenda.” The Denver Post referred to him with the phrase “not enough spine.” I've seen this one before, too.

To see all the installments of my Swing State Confidential diary, click here.

Denver, Colorado...Two kinds of non-disclosure popped up in my half hour of TV news viewing this morning in Denver, ground zero for this year's outside spending spree on political ads. One was an issue ad by the Chamber of Commerce, which famously does not disclose its donors; the other was an issue ad by American Action Network, which not only does not disclose its donors, but also has yet to report its spending in Colorado to the Federal Election Commission.

(Edited to add: As of October 27, the American Action Network's (AAN) spending in Colorado now show up on FEC reports: $725,000 dated October 12. Also on October 27, the Denver Post reported that channel 9 (NBC) is pulling the AAN ad recorded in this diary for false claims.)

Of nine ads viewed in half an hour on channel 7, ABC, two were funded by outside groups, three by party committees, and four by candidates' campaign funds. Here is what I saw:

8:28 a.m. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) takes one of its many hits on Sen. Michael Bennet. This time the ad says "Bennet is pushing for Obama's over-reaching agenda." The Denver Post referred to him with the phrase "not enough spine." The NRSC has reported spending nearly $4 million on ads opposing Bennet, which is more than Buck has collected for his campaign fund. Sunlight CAM link to ads mentioning Bennet here.

8:41 a.m. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) goes after Ryan Frazier, who is challenging incumbent Democrat Rep. Ed Perlmutter, claiming that in his business dealings he's helped send jobs overseas. The DCCC has recently started spending in this district, which has recently become competitive, at the expense of helping Rep. Betsy Markey, who is facing off against Cory Gardner. See Sunlight CAM links for Frazier here.

8:42 a.m.  Here's the issue ad from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, criticizing Michael Bennet for voting for "Obama-care." "Bigger government, less choice, more pain." "Call Michael Bennet and tell him that's not the kind of change we were looking for." The Chamber of Commerce has reported spending $1.9 million on the Bennet race; the group does not publicly disclose its donors.

Next up is the American Action Network (AAN), with an issue ad on Perlmutter. A woman appears on a computer screen; she's skyping her friend. "You have to check out the article I just sent you. Apparently convicted rapists can get Viagra paid for by the new health care bill....Yep. I mean Viagra for rapists? With my tax dollars?" The viewer is asked to call Perlmutter and ask him to repeal the health care bill.  As I reported over here, AAN has yet to disclose its spending in Colorado, and, as a 501(c)4 organization, also does not have to publicly disclose its donors. See AAN ads on Sunlight CAM here.

8:48 a.m. A tried and true ad from the Cory Gardner campaign, which I've seen many times before, saying that Markey has voted with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "94 percent of the time."

8:49 a.m. An ad from the Bennet campaign criticizes Ken Buck for supporting sending jobs overseas.

8:53 a.m. The NRSC repeats its "not enough spine" ad about Bennet. (See: 8:28 a.m.)

8:54 a.m. Another old one from the Markey v. Gardner matchup, an ad from the Markey campaign urging viewer not to listen to the attacks on her. She says she's got "zero tolerance" for Wall Street bailouts and voted to stop Congressional payraises.

8:58 a.m. Bennet goes for cute with this ad featuring his daughters, who are working on "getting out the vote" for his campaign. They offer to help out an older woman and give her a ride in a wagon.

Denver, Colorado...This morning's crop of political advertisements--collected while watching a half hour of morning news on channel 4, CBS--in the hot Colorado market included six political advertisements. Four were sponsored by candidates' campaigns and one apiece from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee.

With Colorado's Senate race still breathtakingly close, and the women's vote considered key, the newish Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) ad focused on Buck's stance on abortion, birth control, and his treatment of a rape case while he served as a prosecutor. An issue ad on a similar theme went up on the air last week, sponsored by Women's Voices Women Vote Action Fund.

Here's what I saw:

8:50 a.m. "Betsy Markey put Nancy Pelosi ahead of us 94 percent of the time. She voted for health care and the stimulus." This ad comes directly from the Cory Gardner campaign; the race, however, has also drawn $2.6 million in reported outside spending so far. the Markey v. Gardner matchup is in the "lean Republican" column according to The Cook Political Report. Find Gardner ads on Sunlight CAM here.

Next up was an ad from Ryan Frazier's campaign; Frazier is challenging Democratic incumbent Ed Perlmutter and the race has gotten close and has  attracted more than $2 million in reported outside spending. "I'm Ryan Frazier and I approve this message.  Why is Ed Perlmutter doing cartwheels? He used his office to sneak in legislation to help a bank he partially owns. He voted for billions in bank bailouts that gave bonuses to corporate executives on Wall Street. Now they are financing his campaign." See Frazier's ads on Sunlight CAM here.

8:53 a.m. The DSCC's hit against Ken Buck.  "He doesn't get it." We've been using birth control for decades, but he's supported making common forms of birth control illegal. "He doesn't get it." Buck wants to make abortion illegal even in the most dire circumstances. He refused to prosecute a rape case; the victim said he blamed her. The DSCC has reported dropping $6.3 million on ads opposing Buck, more than any other candidate this election. Sunlight CAM link here.

8:54 a.m. "Career politician"  Cory Gardner wants to put a tax on the wind. "It's true, Gardner's bill called for taxing the wind that blows across Coloradans private property." I've seen this one from the Markey campaign before. Sunlight CAM link here.

8:56 a.m. The National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee (NRSC) comes in swinging against Bennet with an ad attacking him on reckless spending. This one has been airing for awhile. "Michael Bennet, he spends, we pay." The NRSC has reported spending more on ads opposing Bennet--more than $3 million--than any other candidate. Here's the Sunlight CAM link.

8:59 a.m. The next ad is from the Buck campaign. "We protested when goverment ran up debt, sent emails when they nationalized health care, we asked them to get off backs of small business, pleaded to secure our border. They heard us but they ignored us. On Nov. 2 they will ignore us no more."  Sunlight CAM link here.

See previous installments of "Swing State Confidential: Colorado" here.

Denver, CO...This morning's news broadcast on channel 7, ABC news, here in Denver began with the announcer reporting that Michelle Obama is in town for a lunch time fundraiser for Sen. Michael Bennet.

Over the course of the 35 minutes that I watched, eight of the 14 political ads concerning federal races that aired concerned his race to keep his seat in November. Of those eight, half were hits on his campaign by outside groups and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC); three were hits on his opponent, Ken Buck, by outside groups and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), and one was a campaign ad from the Bennet campaign. The Colorado Senate race currently leads the nation in attracting spending from outside groups, according to Sunlight's Follow the Unlimited Money tracker.

Also of note: as reported earlier this week by the Wall Street Journal, the American Action Network, run by operative Fred Malek and former GOP Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman has lept into the fray in Colorado's seventh district, where Democrat Rep. Ed Perlmutter is defending his seat against GOP challenger Cory Gardner.

I watched all these ads as part of my ongoing morning television diary where I'm following the money on political ads aired in Colorado and entering them on our Sunlight CAM.  See previous entries here.

8:28 a.m. The NRSC takes a hit on Sen. Michael Bennet's "reckless" spending, charging that he voted for the "failed" stimulus and billions in hand outs to special interests. "He spends, we pay." The NRSC has reported spending $1.6 million against Bennet to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Sunlight CAM link here.

Next up: the American Action Network blasts Rep. Ed Perlmutter on health care. The ad begins with a clip of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, then claims that the health care bill cost too much, slashed Medicare, and gave health care to illegals. "In November, call Perlmutter and tell him to vote for repeal."  American Action Network has just started advertising in this race (see above); as of this writing, the group has not yet reported spending in Colorado. Sunlight CAM link here.

8:39 a.m. A female narrator says incumbent Democrat Rep. Betsy Markey has put "Nancy Pelosi ahead of us 94 percent of the time" and she picks "politics over people." "I'm Cory Gardner and I approve this message." Find Gardner ads on Sunlight CAM here.

The NEA Advocacy Fund attacks Senate candidate Ken Buck on his education "math." "His plan for our schools doesn't add up." Saw this ad yesterday; it's new this week. The NEA Advocacy Fund (which I wrote about here) has reported spending $1.35 million on the race. Sunlight CAM link here.

8:40 a.m. The National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) has been running this ad against Markey a lot. Markey voted for health care, is a reckless spender, follows the Pelosi agenda. "Put the brakes on Betsy Markey." The NRCC has reported spending $433,000 opposing her so far. Markey ads on Sunlight CAM here.

Club for Growth Action accuses Bennet of being a Washington insider with this ad. "After 18 months in Washington, he acts like he's been there forever." He voted for government health care, to bail out the car companies. He's already been in Washington "too long." The group has reported spending $581,000 against Bennet so far and $31,000 in favor of Buck. Club for Growth Action has filed paperwork with the FEC to be an "indendent expenditure only" committee that can take unlimited contributions from corporations and unions. The group reported collecting $1.2 million during the month of August; among the larger contributions were $100,000 apiece from Illinois businessmen Jerry Hayden, former chairman of Peacock Engineering, and Richard Uihlein head of Uline Inc., a packaging company. (His wife pens this message urging website viewers to vote this November, commenting on "expensive government programs" and noting the couple likes to watch Fox news.)

8:48 a.m. The American Action Network ad hitting Perlmutter on health care, again.

8:53 a.m. Bennet's ad saying special interests like big oil and insurance companies want to buy Colorado, but he is not for sale.This one has been airing a lot.

Public Campaign Action Fund's Campaign Money Watch ad saying Buck is bad on ethics. I reported on this ad here. The campaign finance reform group's reported spending is up to $771,000 as of today, and increase from the $730,000 reported yesterday. Buck ads on Sunlight CAM here.

American Crossroads' ad accusing Bennet of taking a "Wall Street gamble" with Denver schools when he was superintendent. I've seen this one before. The group now reports spending $3.4 million against Bennet.

An ad from Markey's campaign claiming that "career politician" Gardner wants a wind tax. "It's true, Gardner's bill called for taxing the wind that blows across Coloradans private property."

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) blasts Buck with an ad on the same theme as Public Campaign's piece: ethics and the gun dealer. The party committee has reported spending $5.3 million to date opposing Buck.

8:58 a.m. American Action Network hitting Perlmutter on health care, yet again. (That's three times in the last half hour.)

The NRSC going after Bennet on "reckless" spending, again.

I'll be taking a break from my Colorado TV diary for some travel. Tune in later next week, when I return to my political ad viewing. Next up: CNN.

Denver, CO--I'm watching political ads airing on television news every morning here in the swing state of Colorado and following the money that put them there.

Today's crop from 35 minutes of viewing, this time for Denver's channel 9, the local NBC affiliate: ten ads total; four issue ads by outside groups including what appear to be new forays into Colorado races by the Chamber of Commerce and the NEA Advocacy Fund; three independent expenditure ads from Republican party committees, and three ads bought by candidates' campaign committees. Several of the ads are repeats from yesterday's viewing session.

8:26 a.m. Ken Buck wants to take away money from schools, cut teachers, increase class sizes. The NEA Advocacy Fund paid for the ad.  It appears to be an issue ad, as opposed to an independent expenditure--according to my notes, it doesn't specifically say to vote against Buck (But the ad went fast and I can't find a copy on the Internet). No expenditures by the NEA Advocacy Fund, which is associated with the National Education Association, the teacher's union, have been reported yet for Colorado, so I'm probably seeing one of the first runs of the ad. (Edited to add: since writing this earlier in the day, the Fund is now reporting $1.4 million in spending against Buck.) The NEA Advocacy Fund has filed paperwork with the FEC to be an "independent expenditure only" committee that can take unlimited contributions from corporations or unions, a new kind of entity made possible by the Supreme Court's Citizens United. The group also files as a political group known as a 527 with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); its latest disclosure reports, which cover the period through September 30, show an infusion of $475,000 from--the National Education Association. Sunlight CAM link here.

8:29 a.m. Sen. Michael Bennet wants me to know that special interests like big oil and insurance companies think Colorado is for sale. They are spending millions to elect his opponent, Ken Buck. Colorado is not for sale, and neither is Michael Bennet. The ad is paid for by the Michael Bennet campaign. Sunlight CAM link here.

8:35 a.m. Ken Buck was investigated for ethics, he let a gun dealer off the hook. I saw this same ad yesterday on CBS; the issue ad is part of a reported $730,000 ad buy by Public Campaign Action Fund's Campaign Money Watch, a group that advocates for public financing of elections; the most recent filings by the 527 political group with the IRS do not reveal any significant donations. Sunlight CAM link here.

8:36 a.m.: A campaign ad from the Ed Perlmutter campaign claiming his opponent, Ryan Frazier, had a poor attendance record in local office and that his company helps outsource jobs. The Democratic incumbent, Perlmutter has more cash on hand than Frazier to pay for such ads, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The Cook Political Report rates the seat as "lean Democratic." Sunlight CAM link here.

No break--straight into an issue ad on Democrat Rep. Betsy Markey, paid for by the Chamber of Commerce. We told her we needed jobs, and she didn't listen, says the narrator. She voted for government take over of health care, and now she wants an energy tax. "Call Betsy Markey and tell her to listen." The Chamber, recently under attack by Democrats for allegedly taking foreign money for its political operations, has not yet reported spending any money on the Markey ad, so this must be new. Sunlight CAM link here. (Edited to add: the Chamber is now reporting $250,ooo in expenditures against Markey.)

8:42 a.m. "One vote makes a difference," says the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC)  and Michael Bennet's "deciding" votes brought us expensive policies. This is the same ad I saw yesterday.  So far the NRSC has reported spending $1.6 million against Bennet. Look for Bennet ads on Sunlight CAM here.

8:43 a.m. An ad from the Ryan Frazier campaign attacking his opponent, Perlmutter. Frazier says he wants to create jobs and Perlmutter hasn't. I saw this ad yesterday, too. Frazier ads on Sunlight CAM are here.

Straight into what appears to be an issue ad on Michael Bennet by American Crossroads, which has benefited from the fundraising prowess of GOP operative Karl Rove. The ad focuses on a "Wall Street gamble" that Bennet promoted with the local school board that cost taxpayers; Bennet also took money for his campaign from these same Wall Street bankers." Michael Bennet should work for us, not Wall Street." American Crossroads has reported spending $3.4 million all opposing Bennet. See Bennet ads on Sunlight CAM here.

8:55 a.m. Another ad from yesterday: the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) piece blasting Democrat Betsy Markey. There's one party that has absolute power in Washington, and Markey has voted the "Pelosi party line." She's gone "too far, too fast." "Replace Betsy Markey." Sunlight CAM link here.

9:00 a.m. The "One vote makes a difference ad" that ran fifteen minutes before attacking Michael Bennet, from the NRSC.

Tomorrow morning I'll tune my channel to ABC and report on what I see.

Denver, Colorado--Ah, life in a swing state. With several important races in play, we Coloradans are getting blasted with a barrage of political advertisements. Indeed, the Colorado Senate race currently leads the nation in attracting spending by outside groups, according to our Follow the Unlimited Money tracker.

Today I started an experiment: every morning, I will watch a half hour of network or cable news, and  report on all the ads that I see, as best I can identifying who is paying for them. And I'll enter the information in our  Sunlight CAM, our crowdsourcing site for people to track political ad spending. My aim won't be to fact check the ads, but rather to see where the money is flowing.

8:30 a.m.: I tune into CBS, on channel 4.

8:48 a.m.: Commercial break. After an ad for Oprah and the local news, Democratic Rep. John Salazar appears on the screen, riding a horse. "I'm John Salazar, and I approve this message," he says. Soon the narrator starts attacking his opponent, Scott Tipton, claiming that he "would cut Social Security and Medicare in half." The Salazar campaign paid for the ad. (Sunlight CAM link here.)

Next up is Democrat Rep. Betsy Markey, who is defending her seat against a challenge by Republican Cory Gardner. Markey looks into the camera, telling me not to believe the attack ads that I have seen. She says she has "zero tolerance" for Wall Street bailouts and says she stopped congressional pay raises. Her campaign  paid for the ad.

Bang. Now the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) follows with an ad blasting Markey. The scene is a dark highway, from the driver's point of view. The narrator says that in Washington, "one party has absolute power," and that spending is "out of control," that there's been a government take over of health care, and that Markey "voted for it all," "Markey votes the Pelosi party line." She's gone "too far, too fast." The NRCC has reported spending $433,000 opposing Markey. (Sunlight CAM links to Markey ads here.)

8:51 a.m. Back to the news.

8:53 a.m. Ken Buck.  He was investigated for ethics, he let a gun dealer off the hook. Then the gun dealer contributed to his campaign. He's just plain wrong for Colorado. "Public Campaign Action Fund's Campaign Money Watch is responsible for the content of this advertising." This is an issue ad run by a group advocating for public financing of elections; it has reported spending $730,000 on the race. The ad stops just short of saying that the voter should vote against Buck, but the message is obvious. (Disclosure: I used to work for Public Campaign.) Sunlight CAM link here.

Now in the crosshairs: Sen. Michael Bennet. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) wants me to know that "one vote makes a difference," and that Michael Bennet has cast several "deciding" ones: in favor of the stimulus, which wasted "billions," in favor of health care, which slashed Medicare, and that he raised taxes. The ad ends by connecting a photo of Bennet to one of President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. So far, the NRSC has reported spending $1.6 million against Bennet. Bennet ads on Sunlight CAM here.

8:54 After a few non-political commercials, it's back to the news.

8:56 A clip of Democrat  incumbent Ed Perlmutter appears on the screen, saying he wants to create jobs in Colorado. Then a narrator breaks in: "That's not what you're record is." The narrator says Perlmutter has sent jobs overseas, an energy tax, that he increased the debt, and that now he's "worried about his job." Then a clip of his challenger, GOP candidate Ryan Frazier appears in a clip, as the narrator says he supports tax relief to create new jobs and that he has "new ideas." Switch to Frazier looking at the camera, saying, "I'm Ryan Frazier and I approve this message." Frazier ads on Sunlight CAM are here.

8:57 An ad for a local production of the musical "Mama Mia," and then some station promotion.

8:58 An ad telling voters to oppose three ballot measures, "the ugly 3," that would that would create a new recession, a "voter approved recession," paid for by Coloradans for Responsible Reform.

And the final entry for my half hour of viewing, an ad bought by the Michael Bennet campaign. This one features an ob/gyn, Dr. Eliza Buyers, who says she's very "disturbed" about Ken Buck, claiming he wants to ban common birth control measures and opposes abortion including in cases of rape and "Ken Buck is too extreme for Colorado."

The tally: seven ads concerning federal races in 30 minutes; four paid for by the candidates' campaigns themselves; two paid for by Republican party committees; and one "issue ad" bought by a group supporting campaign finance reform. Stay tuned for what tomorrow morning brings.

Seven key Democrats seen as potential vote-flippers on the health care reform bill are heavily reliant on campaign funds from party leadership and online progressive activists.

According to campaign finance data at the Center for Responsive Politics, all seven Democrats--Reps. Jason Altmire, Suzanne Kosmas, Frank Kratovil, Scott Murphy, Glenn Nye, Michael McMahon and Betsy Markey--list Leadership PACs (political action committees) in the top three career industry donors. Three of the seven members are also heavily reliant on money from Democratic campaign committees or outside progressive fundraising through the web site Actblue.

The seven Democrats were identified in an Associated Press survey of members who previously voted "No" on the House health care reform bill. With pressure mounting to pass the Senate's health care reform bill and the resignation of key members along with the death of Rep. John Murtha, Speaker Nancy Pelosi must round-up lawmakers like these seven to vote "Yes" after a previous "No" vote.

The upper Democratic leadership is particularly active in contributing to these lawmakers. Five of the seven lawmakers--Kosmas, Kratovil, Murphy, Nye and Markey--count the PACs of Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip James Clyburn in their top twenty career individual donors. Rep. McMahon counts two of the three Democratic leadership PACs (Hoyer and Clyburn) in his top twenty.

All of these seven lawmakers are either freshmen or, in Rep. Altmire's case, a sophomore. Freshmen and sophomore lawmakers are often in greater danger of losing their next election and, therefore, more reliant on party and leadership funds to finance their victories. This puts them in a situation where the leadership has significantly more sway over their floor votes than other members.

Similarly, outside activists can push a lawmaker towards a certain vote by contributing or withholding funds. Rep. Scott Murphy, who won a special election in New York to replace appointed-Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, is the top recipient among the seven lawmakers of money from ActBlue, the online progressive clearinghouse for campaign contributions. Murphy received $315,807 in individual contributions through the ActBlue site making ActBlue his number one career individual donor. Rep. Betsy Markey also received a significant amount of campaign money through ActBlue with $124,090 coming in from the site.

See below for totals: