Congresswoman Betsy Markey, the Democrat who ousted conservative Marilyn Musgrave from the 4th Congressional District in the last election, "threw left and batted right" and played centerfield during a charity softball game this week, writes Fort Collins Coloradoan editor Bob Moore. Draw your own political metaphors from Markey's softball play, keeping in mind that the national Republican Party views Markey's seat as one of their top targets for 2010. So far, it seems Markey is playing well when it comes to political networking. She raised more than $260,000 in the second quarter and has more than $500,000 on hand for the re-election bid, the Coloradoan reports. University of Colorado Regent Tom Lucero, a Berthoud Republican, hopes to square off against Markey but appears to be having trouble raising cash. He pulled in less than $14,000 in the first quarter and has yet to file second-quarter figures. Meanwhile, a more probable GOP opponent, state Representative Cory Gardner, has made Politico's list of 10 campaign cash stories to watch.