Colorado: Cindy Lowery

Colorado House District 3 Democratic candidate Sam Cassidy wants you to know that he's not a carpetbagger or a shill for big oil companies, as some bloggers in the more liberal side of his party have alleged.

Discourse has gotten a little testy — and crowded — in the nine-way race for the safe Democratic seat incorporating parts of Denver and Arapahoe counties.

The free-for-all ends tonight, as a 100-person vacancy committee selects a replacement for exiting Rep. Anne McGihon, who left her post after rejoining her law firm.

A former lieutenant governor and state senator, Cassidy erected a Web page saying he's a longtime Denverite and he's sold his oil exploration company and now invests his money only in renewable energy — among other defenses.