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GOP committee pulls Schaffer TV ads

By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News (Contact), Ed Sealover, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 24, 2008 at 12:38 p.m.
Updated October 24, 2008 at 12:38 p.m.

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A group that assists Republican Senate candidates in their elections won't be spending any more money in Colorado to help Bob Schaffer in his bid to beat Democrat Mark Udall.

Just last week, the National Republican Senatorial Committee said there was no way it was going to abandon Colorado.

But spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher today confirmed that the group has not made an ad buy for next week.

"That is correct," she said, adding, "We believe Bob Schaffer is a strong candidate who is right for Colorado."

The move follows a decision by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — which has been running ads on behalf on Udall — earlier this week to leave Colorado. Its last ad will air Monday.

"We don't comment on our ad decisions, but we believe Mark Udall is in a very strong position to win this race," said DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller.

Udall has a double-digit lead in several polls, although Schaffer's campaign manager, Dick Wadhams, said their poll shows the race much closer.

The decision by the Republican group to pull out surprised the Udall campaign. With the Democratic committee money gone, the Udall campaign expected a blitz of attack ads on their candidate through the election.

"The NRSC found out the hard way that Colorado's independent-minded voters can't be bought," said Udall spokedwoman Tara Trujillo.

Wadhams said the Republican group probably decided it didn't need to stay if the Democrat group had pulled out.

One week ago, both Wadhams and Fisher said rumors that the Republican group was leaving Colorado were false.

"The NRSC is staying in the race until the end," he said.

He said a poll conducted for the campaign that week by Hill Research Consultants showed Schaffer trailing Udall by only a 43-38 margin, with 6 percent of voters supporting third-party candidates and 13 percent undecided.

That poll also showed that the majority of the undecided were people from outside the Denver area who live in traditionally Republican-leaning counties, giving the campaign a road map of how to fight over the last two weeks.

"The bottom line is that this race is deadlocked essentially," Wadhams said, at the time.

Comments

  • October 24, 2008

    1:50 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Rainbow522 writes:

    "The NRSC found out the hard way that Colorado's independent-minded voters can't be bought,"...

    You've go that right!

  • October 24, 2008

    2:38 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    BroncoDan writes:

    Schaffer's nothing, but a windbag...

  • October 24, 2008

    2:49 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    vendari01 writes:

    Bugs Bunny for Senate. He's the one candidate who knows how to take the bull by the horns!

  • October 24, 2008

    2:55 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    amaikovich writes:

    Udall has a double-digit lead in several polls, although Schaffer's campaign manager, Mr. Wadhams, said their poll shows the race much closer.

    Wadhams then challenged the press about his assertion. "Go ahead and ask anyone in our campaign office who they are voting for and tell me we're behind. Who are you going to believe, us or the National Republican Senatorial Committee?"

  • October 24, 2008

    3:40 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    psychoChicken writes:

    my vote is for sale to the highest bidder

  • October 24, 2008

    3:59 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    conservative111 writes:

    Did you know that Udall's brother is probably going to win the vacated Senate seat in New Mexico? DO WE NEED TWO UDALL'S IN THE U.S. SENATE?? NO!!!!

  • October 24, 2008

    6:50 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    forty5ford writes:

    in response to psychoChicken who wrote... "my vote is for sale to the highest bidder"
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    what a utterly stupid statement to post. apparently you don't know or care that this constitutes voter fraud and it's clearly a violation of federal & state statutes... felonies to be exact so apparently you're open to serving prison time.

  • October 25, 2008

    8:58 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    jbowen43 writes:

    "Did you know that Udall's brother is probably going to win the vacated Senate seat in New Mexico?"
    Now there is a statement from another clueless republican.
    His cousin is going to win a senate seat and his cousin is going to lose a senate seat. You figure it out .