Two days after a Denver Post poll showed Democrat Angie Paccione trailing Republican U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has pulled local television advertising for Paccione.
“The DCCC … canceled the market” for Paccione, said John Curry, general sales manager with KMGH-Channel 7.
The committee canceled Paccione ads Wednesday, Curry said. He declined to go into details.
Paccione got some good news Thursday, however, when Emily’s List, a national political-action committee that backs Democratic women who support abortion rights, endorsed her. That could result in some extra financial support.
A Denver Post poll published Tuesday showed Paccione trailing Musgrave 10 percentage points in the race for the 4th Congressional District.
A spokeswoman for the DCCC declined to comment.
In August, The Hill, a Washington newspaper covering Congress, pegged the DCCC ad campaign contribution to Paccione at $630,000.
“The DCCC is still behind us; they’ve sent out direct-mail pieces on our behalf, and they’ve offered us invaluable help with fundraising,” said James Thompson, a Paccione spokesman.
Thompson said the campaign has no direct knowledge of independent expenditures by the DCCC.
Meanwhile, Musgrave’s campaign viewed the cancellation of ads as a loss in confidence.
“This is a pretty simple political equation,” said Shaun Kenney, a Musgrave campaign spokesman. “If offering the money meant that national Democrats were optimistic about Paccione’s chances, withdrawing it clearly means the opposite.”
Staff writer Kieran Nicholson can be reached at 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.
