July 03, 2018 10:01 AM UTC

Jena Griswold Buys Up October Air Time

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• by: Colorado Pols

As the Denver Post’s Jon Murray reports:

Democrat Jena Griswold avoided a primary contest last week, and now the secretary of state candidate has found a use for most of the money she saved: a big October TV ad buy that ensures voters will see plenty of her in the election’s final weeks.

Griswold on Monday announced a $260,000 reservation of fall airtime on broadcast TV channels. The Louisville attorney is challenging Secretary of State Wayne Williams, an El Paso County Republican elected in 2014.

The large preorder secures airtime at lower rates, and Griswold is the first candidate running for statewide office to commit such a large sum for TV advertising ahead of the Nov. 6 general election. The Republican Attorneys General Association rolled out an ad in support of Republican candidate George Brauchler last week on cable TV channels, but the buy was much smaller.

We were initially skeptical of Jena Griswold’s campaign for secretary of state, but she has more than answered our skepticism with a professional early operation and by all accounts a strong work ethic. Having avoided the expense of competing in a primary, Griswold heads into the general election with the resources to purchase all-important October air time before those spots become prohibitively expensive.

Democrats have been searching for a winning combination in the downticket constitutional offices for years, a consistent trouble spot despite their overall landmark success in winning elections here since 2004. Incumbent Republican Wayne Williams has tried to present himself as less controversial than his overtly partisan predecessor Scott “Honey Badger” Gessler, but has nonetheless left himself vulnerable to hard shots from Griswold that could resonate with voters in an anti-Trump wave year.

And now, you can bet on seeing a lot of Jena Griswold on TV when you get your ballot in the mail.