Plot

Senatorial candidate Nelson Hayward murders his domineering campaign manager, staging it to appear that Hayward himself was the intended victim of a mob hit gone wrong.

It's a week before the election and Senate candidate Nelson Hayward seems to have a good chance of winning, particularly since his campaign manager Harry Stone started rumors that someone was out to kill him. Hayward has now had a good deal of publicity over standing strong in the face of danger, but the demanding Stone now insists that the married Hayward drop his girlfriend Linda Johnson. Hayward kills Stone and uses Stone's own rumors of political assassination as the reason behind the killing. His alibi for the time of the killing is that he was at his wife Victoria's birthday party. Colombo is puzzled by a number of things, including how a killer could have killed Stone in the dark or how Hayward knew to order a new jacket to replaced the one damaged in the shooting before the shooting occurred. To allay growing suspicions, Hayward tries to stage another attempt on his life but Colombo is one step ahead of him.—garykmcd

To boost his ratings for senator, Hayward Nelson has his campaign manager Harry Stone fabricate stories. However, Harry tries to blackmail Hayward to dump his mistress otherwise he will expose him. Hayward concocts a plan to murder Harry Stone, and blame it on the mob, but he never counted on matching wits with Columbo.—charmardee-smith

Campaign manager Harry Stone manufactures a story that senatorial candidate Nelson Hayward is the target of a murder plot to gain votes in the coming election. Hayward seizes the opportunity to commit a murder of his own, killing Harry Stone, who knows too much, and making it look as if Hayward himself was the intended victim. Columbo hits the election campaign trail to catch a killer.—Mark Limvere-Robinson