With a collective $3 million raised through the end of March, Denver’s mayoral candidates are likely banking on a proliferation of advertising heading into the final weeks of the race toward the May 3 election. And it’s looking like a record-breaker in terms of fundraising (Denver Post).

Some voters might be feeling a tinge of nostalgia for John Hickenlooper‘s creative (some would say “wacky”) run, and the freshly elected governor might be, too. He may have just shepherded one of the most painful state budget bills in recent memory, but that doesn’t necessarily make Governor Hick the most influential leader in the state. Former Denver Mayor Frederico Peña and historian Thomas Noel give that distinction to whomever takes the helm in the Mile High City (9News). That will soon be one of 10 candidates on the ballot, which includes contenders Danny Lopez and Kenneth Simpson, the final subjects of the Denver Post’s profile series.

And while the commercials may not be up to par with Hick’s from ’03, the current race has seen plenty of quirk, with last week’s Candidate Survivor forum (Post), the campaign of “UFO Guy” Jeff Peckman (KDVR), the first fundraiser to be hosted at a medical marijuana center (Westword), and urban chickens among some sticking points for voters (Post), to point out just a few examples.