Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser is reserving a little over $1 million worth of fall TV advertising for his reelection bid, a spokesman for the Democrat’s campaign tells Colorado Politics.

It’s the first substantial general election advertising reservation announced by a Colorado candidate this cycle. While ad reservations can be canceled, committing to a sizable ad buy early gives Weiser the chance to lock in lower rates and secure the most desirable time slots.

“As attorney general, I’m committed to serving the people of Colorado,” Weiser said in an emailed statement. “From standing up for women’s rights to protecting our water to securing over $400 million to fight the opioid epidemic, I’m working to deliver results for them. We have a lot more work to do, and Coloradans know I’ll never stop fighting for them and our communities.”

The ads are set to begin airing statewide a month before the November election on broadcast, cable and streaming platforms, Weiser advisor James Dakin Owens said. He added that Weiser anticipates booking additional ads as the election approaches.

The campaign’s ad reservation is more than Weiser spent on TV airtime for the entire 2018 general election, when campaign finance reports show the former University of Colorado law school dean paid about $858,000 on the way to winning his first term.

Republicans have been hammering Weiser over the state’s rising crime rate, including data that shows Colorado leads the nation in auto thefts and is experiencing violent crime rates not seen in decades.

“It’s time for a prosecutor, not a professor,” tweeted Colorado GOP chair Kristi Burton Brown on Monday, reprising an attack the Republican Attorney Generals Association spent millions of dollars lobbing at Weiser in 2018. 

District Attorney John Kellner, the suburban 18th Judicial District’s top prosecutor, is running unopposed for the GOP nomination to challenge Weiser. Four years ago, Weiser defeated Kellner’s predecessor, Republican DA George Brauchler, by 6.5 points.

Like last cycle, the Weiser campaign is hiring Democratic political ad guru Mark Putnam to produce his ads.

Weiser began the year with $2.2 million on hand after raising $2.7 million in a series of record-setting quarters, according to campaign finance reports. Kellner declared his candidacy in late January and has yet to file fundraising a fundraising report.

The American Constitution Party’s Robert Barbrady is also running for the office.