House Democrats Pull Ad Buy From Coffman's Colorado District

GOP Rep. Mike Coffman has been one of House Democrats' top targets, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is now canceling ad buys in his district.

National Democrats are cutting air time in another top House race, this time in Colorado, as the party continues to shift its resources away from offense in GOP-held districts and toward protecting incumbents.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will cut $1.4 million in air time from Colorado's 6th District, according to a DCCC aide. Former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, a top Democratic recruit, is challenging Republican Rep. Mike Coffman. The committee originally planned to spend $1.8 million in the last two weeks of the race, and has released ads criticizing Coffman's record on women's health care issues.

It's the latest in a series of moves the DCCC has made to shift resources toward vulnerable Democratic incumbents and away from pick-up opportunities that aren't sure bets. The DCCC also cut air time from the expensive Washington, D.C., media market, where Democrat John Foust was seen as a contender for Virginia's 10th District, currently held by retiring Republican Rep. Frank Wolf. And the DCCC made major shifts in its spending earlier this week, cutting air time in districts it considered as pick-up opportunities.

The move comes after an influx of cash from major Republican groups in six districts where Republicans are challenging Democratic incumbents. In the last three days, the DCCC has added air time supporting Reps. Ami Bera, John Barrow, Bill Enyart, Carol Shea-Porter,and Ann Kuster, as well as Gwen Graham, one of the party's few remaining challengers who's still getting DCCC help with her race against a Republican incumbent.

Romanoff announced on Thursday that he raised nearly $1.1 million in the third quarter of the year, making him one of the top Democratic fundraisers in the country.

"This is still a very winnable race, and Romanoff is well-funded and in a competitive position to bring it across the finish line," said a DCCC aide. But the cash-flush committee, which has outraised its GOP counterpart significantly, won't be there to help.