Hours before his warning proved prophetic, Democratic state Rep. Tim Hernández cautioned about outside spending impacting a race like his.

• "When there was no money involved, voters picked me," Hernández told us last Tuesday evening at the Denver watch party for his re-election bid. But, he added, once the ultra-rich start paying for political ads, "it becomes a different conversation."

Catch up quick: Hernández campaigned as a progressive champion, aligning with lawmakers like state Rep. Elisabeth Epps, who touted themselves as candidates fighting for the working class.

• Both ended up losing to challengers who benefited from thousands of dollars of outside spending — just as Hernández warned.

Why it matters: The result cemented a bleak primary for progressives, the label given to left-of-center Democrats, and showed, "Money can buy elections," Adrian Felix, a former organizing leader with Denver Democrats, told Axios.

Between the lines: Paul Teske, dean of the University of Colorado Denver's School of Public Affairs, tells us that last Tuesday's results show Denver Democrats are still strongly moderates.

What they're saying: Felix said the local party needs to evaluate money's role in elections.

• Like Felix, Teske said the primary confirmed just how much money matters in races. And in last week's state House races, the moderate candidates were backed by more money than progressive ones.

Follow the money: Cecelia Espenoza and Sean Camacho, the moderate Democrats who defeated Hernández and Epps respectively, benefited from super PAC spending.

• This money came from Let Colorado Vote Action, a group tied to former DaVita CEO Kent Thiry. He personally donated $1.24 million, per the latest state election finance records.

Go deeper

Despite state and city laws prohibiting fireworks, Denver police have received thousands of fireworks complaints.

Why it matters: Fireworks are dangerous. They are bad for the environment, raise wildfire risks and injure people every year, officials say.

By the numbers: In the last seven years, more than 17,000 fireworks complaints have been reported to DPD, according to data provided to Axios Denver.

• As of June 30, the agency has already received more than 450 complaints for the year, and that number is expected to climb over the next few days.

Threat level: Catching the culprits isn't easy. Only 155 fireworks citations have been issued between June 15 and July 6 since 2017, DPD data shows.

• Police must take priority calls like shootings and crashes first — and by the time officers arrive, the issue is usually resolved.

The intrigue: DPD spokesperson Jay Casillas tells us it's unclear why there was such a spike in fireworks-related calls in 2020, when the agency recorded nearly 5,400.

State of play: In Denver, the use and possession of all fireworks — including sparklers — is banned citywide.

Share this chart

The question isn't if you'll encounter hot dogs on the Fourth, but what kind.

The big picture: It turns out different U.S. regions have distinct go-to hot dog toppings.

Zoom in: Searches for Sonoran hot dogs are over-represented in Colorado compared to the country as a whole.

• That's based on Google searches from June 17-24, according to Google Trends' Jenny Lee.

How it's made: Its name is a nod to the Mexican state of Sonora.

• The bolillo-style bun comes filled to the brim with a grilled bacon-wrapped dog loaded with pinto beans, onions and tomatoes, plus drizzles of mustard, mayonnaise and green salsa.

If you go: Sonoran-inspired franks can be found at several spots around town, including Hamburguesas Don Jesús and Biker Jim's.

Tell a frank fan

🤩 Great Hall renovations at Union Station will be unveiled the weekend of July 12, just as the 10th anniversary of the train terminal's major redevelopment approaches. (Denverite)

🚨 A man who was among three people who started a fire that killed five Senegalese family members in the Green Valley Ranch neighborhood in 2020 was sentenced yesterday to 60 years in prison, Esteban reports.

🔬 Elevate Quantum Tech Hub, a group comprised of organizations in Colorado and New Mexico, is receiving $40.5 million in federal money to create a regional quantum tech hub. (CPR)

📆 Start planning your days ahead.

Kate Quinn Live at Tattered Cover on July 10: The New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye and The Rose Code returns with a haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D.C., boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.

Hosting an event? Email [email protected].

They appeared like angels, from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. To save my wife's life.

Threat level: Moments earlier, my partner of 12 years collapsed suddenly outside a boarding gate Saturday at Denver International Airport. Her heart stopped beating. Her lungs stopped breathing.

• I asked someone seated near me to get help, and soon they appeared: Two nurses and an ER doctor, just passersby to the scariest moment in my life.

What they did: One began chest compressions. Soon another took over. Meanwhile, I plugged her nose, tilted back her head and tried to breathe life into her. Again and again.

• A flight attendant rushed to get a defibrillator that one of the nurses hooked to my wife.
• Seconds later, after more CPR, she miraculously started breathing.

What they're saying: A paramedic later told me the early chest compressions probably saved her life.

Zoom out: I don't know the names of my wife's lifesavers. I never had a chance to ask. I wouldn't recognize their faces. The whole episode was a blur.

• I want to thank them. They and all medical professionals who instinctively rush to help when help is needed, knowing their skills can save lives.

The bottom line: I'll probably never meet them; they'll probably never read this. But lifesavers walk among us, and we all should be grateful.