They throw pies at their opponents.

Salad dressing.

Paint.

Molotov cocktails.

And now it’s…dog feces:

Republican U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave’s re-election campaign was already heated, and it just got smelly as well: Her staff accused a Democratic activist Thursday of leaving an envelope full of dog feces at Musgrave’s Greeley office.

Musgrave spokesman Shaun Kenney said someone stuffed the envelope through the mail slot in the door on May 31 and then sped away in a car. Kenney said most of the preprinted return address was blacked out, but staffers used the nine-digit ZIP code to trace it to Kathleen Ensz, a Weld County Democratic volunteer.

Ensz told The Associated Press she left the envelope at Musgrave’s office but said it “wasn’t in the office doors, it was in the foyer.” Asked what she meant by the act, she declined comment.

I spy with my little eye something that begins with “U.”

***

Denver 7 News reports that the accused, um, dog poop depositor comes from academia. Why am I not surprised:

Ensz was charged with criminal use of a noxious substance. She is a professor emeritus at UNC [University of Northern Colorado].

She taught French. Denver Post has more:

Ensz began teaching at UNC in 1970 and earned her emeritus status in 2000, said UNC spokeswoman Gloria Reynolds.

Since she is no longer on staff, she doesn’t face sanctions, Reynolds said.

A receptionist at Musgrave’s campaign office saw a woman drive up to the office and cram the offending mailer through the outer door’s mail slot, according to Musgrave officials.

Musgrave staff members also traced the mailer back to Ensz’s neighborhood, where they spotted the car she allegedly drove to deliver the mailer and a large German shepherd, said Aaron Johnson, Musgrave’s communications director.

“It’s a large dog, and it apparently makes a big mess,” he said.

Contrary to AP characterizations, Ensz is no mere “volunteer.” She holds an official Dem Party position as Colorado Senate District 13 Democratic Central Committee vice chair.

Charlie Brennan, Rocky Mountain News: “Talk about your smear campaigns.”

Super Fun Power Hour: “What a crappy thing to do.”

Dafydd at Big Lizards: “Ah, Democrats. I remember reading a sign warning me about this sort of thing the last time I visited the monkey cage at the zoo.”

Jon Ham notes more misleading reporting on the story:

The Associated Press has moved a story with this headline: “Dog Feces Left at Congresswoman’s Office.” And what’s the lede of the story?:

Republican U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave’s re-election campaign was already heated, and it just got smelly as well: Her staff accused a Democratic activist Thursday of leaving an envelope full of dog feces at Musgrave’s Greeley office.(emphasis added)

You would think that police are still out searching for the culprit in this incident, but you would be wrong. In the third paragraph a Democratic activist admits leaving the, er, token after the congresswoman’s enterprising staff traced her through a ZIP code on the envelope containing the feces. So why not just lede with that and write the headline appropriately?