Fort Collins City Councilman Diggs Brown is currently on active duty as a major in the Army National Guard, serving in Africa. He's also running for Congress in the 4th congressional district - in a way. Political consultants and activists are keeping the fires burning on a campaign effort that is set to go from simmer to boil this fall.

We've been busy pouring over second quarter campaign finance reports here in the Face the State office, and there's plenty to analyze. Generally, candidates for office are advised not to take sides in primaries, for fear of alienating supporters who may be divided on another race. But always one to challenge conventional wisdom, Republican dark horse U.S. Senate candidate Cleve Tidwell is picking favorites in primaries for U.S. House and governor.

You'd think forking over $15,000 in delinquent campaign finance filings would be enough to deter someone from making the same mistake again.

State Rep. Jack Pommer's bad luck with campaign finance paperwork, which prompted a big payout to the Secretary of State earlier this year, didn’t deter him from missing the latest campaign finance reporting deadline on July 15.

Republican state Treasurer candidate Walker Stapleton raised a record-breaking $138,211 for the quarter ending June 30, according to a Tuesday release ahead of tomorrow's campaign finance reporting deadline. The campaign touted the take as largest-ever for a non-incumbent treasurer candidate.

State Rep. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, is pressing on with an appeal of his lawsuit against Gov. Bill Ritter, who is accused of improperly spending more than $200,000 from his gubernatorial inaugural committee.

Freshman U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Denver, is busy amassing cash ahead of next year's general election. His next campaign stop: Martha's Vineyard.

The "Draft Diggs for Congress" PAC this afternoon announced its fundraising numbers for the second quarter of 2009, having brought in roughly $23,000 in receipts.

State Rep. Cory Gardner's campaign for Congress announced this morning it raised more than $200,000 in the first seven weeks after entering the race for the 4th CD. Fundraising reports for all federal candidates are due to elections officials by July 15 for the quarter ending June 30, but it is typical for campaigns to announce totals ahead of their official filings.

Today marks the end of the 2nd quarter, and candidates for political office are scrambling to bring in last minute cash to pump up their July campaign finance reports. Among them is Tom Lucero, a CU Regent and one of two announced GOP contenders in the 4th congressional district. In an e-mail sent at 4:30 this afternoon, Lucero is getting aggressive with his fundraising, albeit a little late in the day.

At Face The State we're big fans of databases, government primary documents and open records. One of the best sources for information on political contributions and campaign finance is OpenSecrets.org, the nonpartisan online guide that tracks money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy. Recently, the site launched a Facebook application that allows users to view top donors and donations to their U.S. Senators and Representatives, targeted by zip code.

Last month, Former Congressman Scott McInnis quietly filed paperwork declaring himself a candidate for Colorado Governor in 2010. Despite filing, McInnis has not set up a campaign committee with state elections officials nor created a Web site, two tasks normally a priority for new candidates. Without a committee, McInnis is prohibited under state law from accepting contributions or spending money to promote his bid for office.

You would think most members of the military preparing to ship out for active duty would spend their final night or two relaxing with family or packing a bag. But not state Rep. Joe Rice, an Army colonel headed for Iraq this week.

Incumbency has its advantages.

In the already heated race to oust Rep. Betsy Markey in Colorado's 4th Congressional District, Republicans are trailing far behind the freshman incumbent Democrat by six figures.

Need a job? The Cary Kennedy for Treasurer Campaign is hiring!

RBI Strategies, the political consulting firm managing Kennedy’s campaign, is looking to fill an entry-level finance coordinator position. Basically, the campaign is looking for someone to help raise funds for Kennedy's re-election. Let’s just hope whoever they hire knows Colorado election law better than Kennedy’s campaign advisor Tyler Chaffee, who recently sent out a campaign invitation that landed his boss in hot water.

Hours after a Face the State report exposed Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder, for owing close to $20,000 to the state for fines relating to delinquent campaign finance reports, he appeared in the Secretary of State's office, check in hand and ready to settle.