Klobuchar buys TV ads; Sanders backs DIA union workers
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is buying ads in Colorado and announcing new endorsements ahead of the March 3 presidential primary as she struggles to break out of the pack of moderates.
Meanwhile, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, gave his support Monday to unionized workers at Denver’s airport.
Here is the latest look at the battle for Coloradans’ votes. In the last week, most of the major candidates in the Democratic field visited the state, suggesting it’s one of the more competitive Super Tuesday contests.
Ballot returns: Republicans outpace Democrats
Colorado voters returned 523,938 ballots through Sunday, representing 15.3% of active voters who received a ballot, according to figures released by the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office. Forty-nine percent of returned ballots were Republican primary ballots and just under 39% were Democratic primary ballots, with the rest still being processed.
Democrats are either less engaged or, more likely, sitting on their ballots until closer to next week’s primary to see what shakes out in the crowded and volatile race.
Klobuchar’s ad buy
A Klobuchar campaign memo out Monday said she will spend $4.2 million on cable, broadcast and digital ads in Colorado, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Texas and Utah in the next week.
It’s unclear how much of that will be in Colorado, where the campaign announced the hiring of a half-dozen staffers just last week.
Endorsements: Among 15 Colorado endorsements announced by Klobuchar were state Sen. Pete Lee, who introduced her at her Aurora event last week; state Rep. Matt Gray; Gail Schoettler, a former state lieutenant governor and treasurer who ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1998; former Senate President Lucia Guzman; and Tom Mauser, a gun control advocate whose son, Daniel, died in the Columbine High School shooting.
Surrogate: Klobuchar’s daughter, Abigail Bessler, was set to take part in five campaign events along the Front Range on Monday and Tuesday, including stops in Fort Collins, Denver and Pueblo.
Sanders’ support for airport workers
On Twitter, Sanders voiced support Monday for unionized baggage handlers, janitors and wheelchair agents at Denver International Airport who are employed by contractors of United Airlines.
United has put those contracts up for bid, and the Service Employees International Union local has expressed concern its workers could lose their protections if different companies are selected. Sanders expressed hope that United would “honor their choice” to unionize.
Bloomberg sends Sam Donaldson to Denver
Veteran broadcaster Sam Donaldson, who retired in 2013 from ABC News, headlined events Sunday in support of former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, a selffunding billionaire, at campaign offices in Colorado Springs and Denver.
Endorsements: Bloomberg’s Colorado campaign announced the addition of several dozen names to its advisory board, including Zee Ferrufino, owner of Spanish-language radio stations; Denver businessman Ken Gart and his wife, Rebecca; former Denver mayoral candidate Jamie Giellis; and Anna Jo Haynes, a longtime Denver early childhood education advocate.