By spending more than $4.5 million in a barrage of television advertising against Republican Bob Schaffer, the DSCC has been a counterbalance to the more than $15 million spent against Udall by outside groups, according to election records. The race to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Wayne Allard is among the hardest-fought in the nation, at a time when Democrats are contending to expand their Senate majority from 51 to 60, which could block Republican-led filibusters.

Recent polls showed Udall maintaining a lead over Schaffer, in some cases by double digits. The most recent nonpartisan poll in the race, a Rasmussen survey released Friday, found Udall up by 7 points over Schaffer, leading 51-44.

Last week, rumors flew that the DSCC’s Republican counterpart, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), planned to pull its support from Schaffer for a different reason: his campaign was beyond help. Some Republican sources disputed those reports, while others said Schaffer was prepared to fight on without the group’s help.

The Udall campaign did not greet the DSCC’s move as a vote of confidence, citing massive, continued spending by outside groups against Udall. “It doesn’t help,” Udall spokesperson Tara Trujillo told The Denver Post. “We think that outside GOP groups will see this as an opportunity to launch more mean-spirited attack ads against Mark.”

The right-wing American Future Fund has spent millions attacking Udall, including a new ad on education that has drawn fire for playing loose with the facts.

The DSCC move comes only 13 days before the election, as national groups scramble to decide which candidates are headed for clear victories and which are facing defeat. Also on Wednesday, the National Republican Congressional Committee pulled its support from 4th District Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, an indication the group thinks its scarce resources could be better spent defending Republicans who have a better chances at re-election.

The new ad, the latest in a series of attack ads against Mark Udall, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Colorado, says Udall has been bad for education and needs to support Senate Bill 12.

However, according to National Public Radio and the Center for Investigative Reporting, the ad just doesn’t make sense.

First of all, the bill was introduced by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in February and hasn’t gone anywhere since. Second, the bill’s only education provision is an “enhanced charitable deduction for corporate contributions of computer equipment for educational purposes.” Third and perhaps most important, Udall is a member of the House of Representatives, not the Senate. He wouldn’t be able to vote for S. 12 unless he gets elected, an ambition the American Future Fund hopes to thwart. Right?

Colorado Ethics Watch, a campaign watchdog group, filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service last month requesting an investigation of the American Future Fund, saying it had spent more of its total resources on actions that influence elections in Colorado than on social welfare activities, which would be a violation of the organization’s federal tax-exempt status.

An Iowa Independent investigation into American Future Fund in August found the group has considerable ties to prominent figures in state Republican politics, including two former executive directors of the Republican Party of Iowa and a prominent donor to state party candidates.

The group’s leadership also includes media consultants who played key roles in the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads in 2004 and the Willie Horton ad in 1988, both of which helped defeat Democratic presidential candidates.

In addition to its efforts in Colorado, American Future Fund has been active in competitive Senate races around the country. It’s sister organizatin, Iowa Progress Project, has been produced several ads attacking Iowa Democrats.

Representatives of the American Future Fund did not respond to requests for comment.

In addition to the Western Skies Coalition, Colorado Ethics Watch is seeking an investigation into the American Future Fund, Coloradans for Economic Growth and Freedom’s Watch. By federal law, 501(c)(4) groups, which are not required to disclose the names of their donors, must spend at least 51 percent of their total resources on charitable activity.

Ethics Watch alleges that “it appears that more than half of the activities engaged in by AFF, CEG, Freedom’s Watch and WSC have been partisan, non-educational activities that provide benefit to various conservative candidates for state and federal public office in violation of statutory requirements for 501(c)(4) organizations.”

“Each of these organizations have paid considerable money to purchase television ads attacking U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall and candidates running for the state legislature,” said Chantell Taylor, director of Colorado Ethics Watch, in a news release.

“Based on our research, it appears that the organizations are primarily engaged in political activities and need to show where, how and what they are doing to promote the welfare of the community at large. If they do not, they can and should lose their tax exempt status.”

On Sept. 5, the Colorado Independent reported on the Western Skies Coalition and its efforts to — fueled by unlimited gas and oil industry cash — boost conservative candidates running for the state Senate.

This campaign cycle, the group has been sponsoring TV ads portraying Republican state Senate candidates such as incumbent Shawn Mitchell, R-Broomfield, as renewable energy advocates despite voting records to the contrary. Western Skies-sponsored ads have also appeared to boost Republican state Senate candidate Libby Szabo, who is running against Democrat Evie Hudak in the northern Jefferson County race, targeted by both parties, to replace Democrat Sue Windels.

Further, The Colorado Independent found, the Western Skies Coalition, registered as a Virginia corporation with an office in Littleton, is allegedly being used by state Sen. Josh Penry, R-Fruita, to raise funds from oil and gas companies in a bid to target several key Colorado state Senate races and win back a Republican majority in 2010, according to several sources.

When contacted by the Colorado Independent, several oil and gas companies doing business in Colorado refused to confirm or deny their involvement in the coalition’s efforts. However, as TCI has also reported, many of them have dropped a mind-blowing $10 million into fighting Amendment 58 — a statewide initiative that would eliminate a tax credit for oil companies in Colorado that would raise more than $300 million a year for college scholarships, wildlife habitat and other programs. In that campaign, they have been required by state election laws to disclose their contributions.

In late July the Colorado Independent also reported on the activities of another group targeted by Colorado Ethics Watch this week — Coloradans for Economic Growth.

This summer Coloradans for Economic Growth launched a $670,562 negative ad blitz against Rep. Udall, the Democratic Senate candidate. The principals behind the organization include Denver-based GOP heavyweight and former legislator Cliff Dodge; Margo Branscomb, the executive director of the pro-charter and school voucher group Foundation for Academic Innovation; and Michele Austin, an operative and delegate to the Republican National Convention in Minnesota.

All three have ties to Udall’s Republican opponent, former congressman Bob Schaffer, including through his former boss, Aspect Energy CEO Alex Cranberg. Schaffer resigned as Aspect’s vice president for international business development Dec. 31, 2007, to run for the Senate.

A network of Iowa Republicans is playing a leading role in a secretive group advocating nationally on behalf of “conservative and free market ideals” in congressional races around the country. Among the group’s leaders are two media consultants who played key roles in the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads in 2004 and the Willie Horton ad in 1988, both of which helped defeat Democratic presidential candidates …

… The American Future Fund (AFF), operating out of Des Moines, is sponsoring advocacy advertisements in closely contested congressional races from New York to Louisiana to Minnesota and Colorado. It is one of the most ambitious conservative independent expenditure groups to emerge in 2008 …

… In July, it ran radio ads asking Colorado voters to call U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, and “tell him to stop delaying energy exploration.” Last week, AFF launched a television ad critical of Udall’s stance on domestic oil exploration.

Click here to read the full report from the Iowa Independent, including other races across the country that have been targeted by the American Future Fund.