Hickenlooper ahead in both raising and spending money

With no primary competition and a solid lead in the three-way governor's race against Republican Dan Maes and third-party bidder Tom Tancredo, Hickenlooper has still blown through a breathtaking amount of cash in his well-televised campaign.

Of the more than $2.4 million raised through July, Hickenlooper had spent $2.2 million, according to a report filed with state regulators. The campaign said in a news release that $1.2 million has been spent on television advertising, so we'll all be seeing a lot more of Hickenlooper.

Unless Maes gets a GOP bailout, you won't be seeing him on TV anytime soon. Through July, Maes raised $190,000 and spent $173,000.

While Hickenlooper is touting his thriftiness on television, he's nowhere near the leading cheapskate in the governor's race.

In his first campaign finance filing since entering the race, Tancredo reported raising $409 and spending 50 cents. Tancredo didn't even spend the pocket change on something fun -- it went to bank fees.    – More -