Republicans don’t be fooled.

A well-funded Democratic Super PAC wants the GOP primary to nominate candidates Democrats should easily beat in November’s general election when moderates from both parties and the state’s largest political demographic – unaffiliated registrants – will determine who maintains or gains political office.

This is obviously a terrifying election year for the Democratic Party.

Voters in 2018 gave far-left Democrats full control of Colorado Government. They hold both US Senate seats, both chambers of the state legislature, and every statewide office except for an at-large seat on the University of Colorado Board of Regents. Democrats control that board and the Colorado Board of Education.

After four years of one-party rule, Coloradans endure a record-breaking rise in violent crime; a record-breaking rise in drug abuse and overdose deaths; the country’s highest rate of vehicle thefts; the country’s highest rate of bank robberies; an unforeseen rise in homelessness; a state inflation rate exceeding the national average; overregulation of oil and gas as fuel prices soar; racially divisive classroom instruction; sexually inappropriate classroom instruction called “grooming” by critics; and more.

Colorado residents do not feel better off than they were four years ago.

Frustration has mounted and voters are ready to put a stop to Colorado’s rapid cultural and economic decline. They are tired of the extreme. That’s why a recently formed federal super PAC called Democratic Colorado and the far-left ProgressNow are spending millions on TV ads that pretend to disparage the Republican candidates most likely to lose in the general election.

The ads claim Republican Senate candidate Ron Hanks and Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Greg Lopez are “too conservative for Colorado.” While that might hurt the candidates in a general election, Democrats know being “too conservative” will only help them in a primary. With the primary open to unaffiliated voters, the ads tell liberals among that bloc to help nominate the candidate Democrats will most easily defeat. This Tom Foolerly could not be more transparent.

Voters who inform themselves know the Republican most likely to defeat Democratic Gov. Jared Polis is CU Regent Heidi Ganahl, the only Republican holding statewide office. She is better funded than Lopez, holds public office and runs a more robust campaign. They know businessman Joe O’Dea is far better funded than Hanks and will more appeal to moderates – the vast and rational middle – in November.

Democrats fear Ganahl and O’Dea, and these ridiculous ads are all the proof anyone needs.

By stooping to this big-money deception, Democrats are conceding they have no record to run on. Even worse, they have a record to hide and run from. Most Colorado voters, who are neither Republican nor Democrat, should consider that when they vote in the primary and the general.

Colorado has long benefited from its status as a purple state, in which voters divide power among Republicans and Democrats. Diversity among elected officials ensures compromise and collaboration for the sake of effective governance. One-party rule, as Coloradans have witnessed and suffered under, gives us extreme agendas and policies designed to serve radical activists and other special interests.

To restore moderation and balance to Colorado – to reduce crime, drug mayhem, homelessness, soaring prices, etc. – we need an election that results in balance. That won’t happen if deceptive left-wing ads trick primary voters into nominating unelectable Republicans. It is another move by the left to benefit one party – the rest of the public be damned.

Don’t let monied leftists defeat Republicans with expensive mischievous ads. Don’t let the left control the primary so they can snatch victory from the jaws of looming defeat. Don’t be fooled.

Colorado Springs Gazette editorial board