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Why Jared Polis' campaign and congressional office had similar messages

Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colorado) sent out taxpayer-funded mail with a message similar to one being used by his gubernatorial campaign.
Credit: Courtesy 2nd Congressional District
A photo of Jared Polis seen on the franked mail.

Current politicians running for office have certain rules they must follow to make sure the office and the campaign are not working together.

Campaigns can't coordinate with the office on money or messaging.

Last week, the office of Congressman Jared Polis, D-Colorado, sent out what's known as "franked mail" to constituents in the Second Congressional District which covers Boulder, Ft. Collins, Loveland and into the mountains covering Winter Park and Vail.

Franked mail is "prepared, published and mailed at taxpayer expense."

Members of Congress can send the mailers to tout their legislative duties, official activities and constituent services.

Credit: Courtesy 2nd Congressional District
A view of what's known as "Franked mail" sent by Jared Polis.

They can't use franking for personal or biographical information, political and partisan references or solicitations, promotions or endorsements.

The franked mail that Polis sent last week talked about his efforts to protect public lands and guarantee access for outdoor recreation.

At the same time, his gubernatorial campaign had paid for multiple Facebook ads pushing users to a website the campaign created called "Hands off our Lands."

We reached out to both the Congressional Office and the Polis for Colorado campaign to find out if there was a connection between the similar messages.

"Congressman Polis has never used congressional funds for campaign purposes, and to imply otherwise is completely unfounded and not based in fact. The House of Representatives prohibits the use of congressional funds for campaign activities - and there are numerous protections in place to make sure members of Congress don’t violate that rule. Members of Congress communicate with constituents via Franked mail. The mail in question was approved by the commission which is comprised of both Republicans and Democrats who agreed that it was wholly within the House rules and not political or campaign material," said Polis' Congressional Communications Director Jessica Bralish.

"Jared is proud that he has continued fighting hard in Washington for Colorado families as he runs for governor. Protecting our public lands has been a major hallmark of his work as a representative for a district that is over 60 percent public lands, and it will be a major focus of his work leading the state of Colorado," said Polis for Colorado spokeswoman Mara Sheldon. "Our campaign runs digital ads telling voters about Jared’s plans for everything from protecting public lands, to investing in our schools, to defending women’s choice. There was no coordination between the congressional and campaign offices, as emails provided to 9NEWS document very clearly. The campaign ads were devised by a digital consultant who has no involvement with Jared’s congressional office."

Polis' gubernatorial campaign provided a screen shot of an email showing a conversation about starting a microsite in conjunction with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's visit to Colorado. The campaign said the email is from the consultant, but the name of the person who sent the email is blacked out.

There are actually 50 pages of rules that spell out what franked mail can and cannot include.

Credit: Courtesy Polis campaign
A look at a website from Jared Polis' campaign touting his environmental work.

The rules are so specific, they detail that if the Representative is alone in a photo, it can only appear once per page, and take up no more than six percent of the page.

If the representative is with another person, they can have two photos per page.

"The Congressman is going to continue to do the job he was elected to do, up until the very end of his term," Bralish said. "The people of Colorado’s Second Congressional District deserve no less. Every member of Congress is up for re-election every two years, and many send mail pieces to their constituents. Good communications with constituents is an important part of being an effective representative."

The Committee on House Administration, which oversees franked mail, also bans the use of franked mail within 90 days of an election.

Because of the Nov. 6 general election, the last day to send franked mail prior to the election was on Aug. 8.

We also asked Polis' congressional office why he was sending franked mail even though he will no longer represent the district, since he's running for governor.

Credit: Courtesy Facebook
Sponsored ads from Jared Polis' campaign.

"Congressman Polis has been working on the Continental Divide Recreation, Wilderness, and Camp Hale Act for years. His deep commitment to this historic effort to protect over 90,000 acres of amazing mountain areas, including Camp Hale, is evident by the fact that we have earned new supporters this year, including more mountain towns. Continuing ongoing communications about this bill with his constituents is part of doing his job well," Bralish said.

Every representative in Colorado uses franked mail. They must disclose how much they spend when they file their statement of disbursement each quarter.

Since Jan. 2016, Polis has spent $76,541 on franked mail, which put him in the middle of the pack of all seven Colorado representative.

Here's how the rest of the delegation ranks in franked mail spending since Jan. 2016:

- Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Congressional District 6: $145,202

- Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Congressional District 7: $129,716

- Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Congressional District 5: $101,149

- Rep. Jared Polis, D-Congressional District 2: $76,541

- Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Congressional District 3: $72,731

- Rep. Ken Buck, R-Congressional District 4: $69,490

- Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Congressional District 1: $4,382

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