O’Dea, a first-time candidate who owns a Denver-based construction company, spent about $250,000 to run the ad across the state for three weeks, starting Sunday, to run for voters, according to a Fox News report.

He positioned himself as the more moderate of the two Republicans on the June 28 primary ballot. While his opponent, State Representative Ron Hanks, has made false claims of voter fraud a central part of his campaign, O’Dea has made it clear from the start that he believes President Joe Biden has won the 2020 elections and that he planned to focus his campaign on the issues of Biden and incumbent Bennet. That would put O’Dea at odds with those on the far right who have sometimes expressed sympathy or even admiration for Putin.

But if O’Dea wins the Republican nomination, Democrats will look for a way to tie him to extreme elements of the GOP to undermine Republicans’ claim that the state, which leaned leftward in the recent election, is set to elect a Republican in a statewide race.

Veronica Yoo, spokeswoman for the Senate Majority PAC, a super PAC aligned with Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, said the ad shows O’Dea was “incompetent.” She said voters deserved better.

“Pretending to support our troops over images of Russian fighter jets is a slap in the face to Colorado veterans, service members and military families — not to mention the height of political neglect,” Yoo said.