4 statewide Democrats maintain marketing campaign money benefits over their opponents
Mesa County Clerk and Recorder Tina Peters raised a majority of her marketing campaign contributions after shedding the June 28 Republican major, cash she is utilizing to pay for a recount. (Hugh Carey/The Colorado Solar file)
Indicted Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters raised $519,000 for her unsuccessful marketing campaign for secretary of state between June 23 and July 27, enabling the Republican to cowl journey bills to Las Vegas and pay price of a recount within the major contest she misplaced by practically 90,000 votes.
The overwhelming majority of the money, or $506,000, flowed in after the June 28 Republican major for secretary of state, which was gained by former Jefferson County Clerk Pam Anderson. Of that, 72% got here from out-of-state donors.
Candidates are allowed to proceed elevating cash after they lose their elections, and Peters’ fundraising over the past interval was her marketing campaign’s largest since she introduced her bid earlier this yr.
Peters’ haul was additionally the biggest amongst all statewide candidates from June 23 to July 27, primarily based on state-level marketing campaign finance reviews filed Monday with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Workplace.
Peters and different unsuccessful Colorado candidates who unfold unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump started pleading for money to pay for recounts within the days after the first. That’s regardless of all of them being defeated by sizable margins.
Peters paid greater than $250,000 for the statewide recount, which have to be accomplished by Thursday. A statistical audit of the 2022 major outcomes carried out by state elections officers discovered no discrepancies. Peters, nevertheless, has claimed with out proof that there was malfeasance within the vote-counting course of.
Just one different state-level candidate succeeded in elevating the cash to pay for a recount. Republican Lynda Zamora Wilson, who misplaced her major problem in state Senate District 9 to incumbent Sen. Paul Lundeen, paid about $20,000 for the recount.
Wilson raised $17,000 of her marketing campaign’s whole $22,000 between June 23 and July 27, after spending solely about $8,000 on her run in opposition to Lundeen.
Peters’ submitting didn’t embody the recount expense, nevertheless it did embody greater than $1,200 on airfare and $225 spent at a Las Vegas lodge throughout July. She traveled to Las Vegas with out receiving permission from a choose in violation of her bond. The choose revoked an arrest warrant, telling Peters she should get permission to depart the state.
4 Democratic statewide candidates lead GOP opponents
Three of the 4 Democratic statewide candidates, all of whom are incumbents, maintained their vital money benefits over their Republican opponents after the final fundraising interval.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Heidi Ganahl raised $180,000 in contrast with Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’ $62,000 raised from June 23 to July 27. Ganahl additionally loaned her marketing campaign one other $250,000, on high of $350,000 she beforehand donated outright to her marketing campaign.
Polis nonetheless ended the fundraising interval with a major money benefit. He had $4.4 million in his marketing campaign checking account in contrast with the $115,000 Ganahl had.
Self-funding from Polis accounts for 92% of the $6.4 million his marketing campaign has raised up to now this cycle, whereas Ganahl has self-funded about 44% of the practically $1.4 million her marketing campaign has raised up to now.
Democratic Lawyer Common Phil Weiser, Secretary of State Jena Griswold and Treasurer Dave Younger all proceed to considerably outraise their Republican opponents. All three even have TV advert time booked across the state within the weeks main as much as the Nov. 8 election.
Griswold raised practically $337,000 in the latest fundraising interval whereas her Republican opponent, Anderson, raised simply $29,000. Griswold had greater than $516,000 within the financial institution on July 27, whereas Anderson had about $15,000.
Weiser raised practically $299,000 in contrast with $19,000 raised by his Republican opponent, 18th Judicial District Lawyer John Kellner. Weiser had greater than $916,000 in money on July 27 to Kellner’s $72,000.
The margins are narrower within the state treasurer’s contest, with Younger elevating practically $38,000 over the past fundraising interval in contrast with the practically $16,000 raised by Republican Lang Sias, a former state consultant. However Younger had solely $34,000 in money in his marketing campaign’s checking account after paying for TV adverts, in contrast with practically $71,000 for Sias, a former state consultant and 2018 lieutenant governor nominee.
High state Senate contests
With management of the state Legislature on the road, Democratic candidates in aggressive state Senate contests are elevating significantly much less cash than they did 4 years in the past, whereas Republican candidates are elevating barely extra.
Democratic candidates lead their Republican opponents in fundraising in solely three of the seven aggressive Senate seats that may determine which social gathering controls the chamber, although they have been forward in money available in 5 of the seven seats as of July 27.
Right here’s a better have a look at candidate fundraising totals within the seven contests by means of July 27:
- GOP state Sen. Rob Woodward is outraising his Democratic challenger, Janice Marchman, a former faculty board member, within the race to signify Senate District 15, a tossup that features components of Larimer and Boulder counties. Woodward has raised $219,000 up to now this cycle in contrast with $58,000 raised by Marchman.
- Democratic state Rep. Dylan Roberts, of Avon, raised $138,000 in his bid to signify Senate District 8 in contrast with $61,000 raised by former Eagle City Councilman Matt Solomon. Solomon has loaned his marketing campaign practically $15,000. The northwest Colorado district is taken into account aggressive.
- Democratic state Rep. Kyle Mullica, of Thornton, has raised $120,000 in his Senate District 24 battle with Republican Courtney Potter, an Adams 12 Faculty Board member who has raised $30,000.
- Republican state Sen. Dennis Hisey, who moved into Colorado Springs to run in Senate District 11 after final yr’s redistricting course of, has raised practically $87,000 in comparison with his Democratic opponent, state Rep. Tony Exum, who has hauled in $46,000. Exum had solely about $13,000 within the financial institution as of July 27 after profitable a aggressive major, in contrast with the greater than $65,000 Hisey had.
- GOP businessman Thomas Kim has raised greater than $80,000 in his bid to signify Senate District 27, an open district in Arapahoe County. That’s in contrast with Democratic state Rep. Tom Sullivan’s $70,000. However Sullivan had practically $67,000 in money on July 27, whereas Kim had lower than $10,000 after dealing with a aggressive major contest.
- Development firm proprietor Tim Walsh, a Republican, has raised greater than $64,000 in his bid to signify Senate District 20 in contrast with Democratic state Rep. Lisa Cutter’s $46,000. The district relies in Jefferson County. Walsh has additionally loaned his marketing campaign $140,000 and has spent greater than $92,000 on cable TV adverts for August.
- In Senate District 3, which relies in Pueblo, Democratic state Sen. Tim Hinrichsen and his GOP opponent Stephen Varela, every have raised practically $40,000. Varela is a fight veteran who serves on the board of a constitution faculty.
Outdoors spending
Spending by political teams performs a major function within the final result of state Home and Senate contests, and the principle Republican committee supporting GOP Senate candidates continues to out-raise its Democratic counterpart.
In the latest fundraising interval, the Senate Majority Fund, the Republican group, raised practically $535,000 in contrast with $167,000 raised by All Collectively Colorado, its Democratic counterpart.
The nationwide tremendous PAC GOPAC Election Fund is the highest donor to the Senate Majority Fund, at $835,000 up to now this cycle. The Pharmaceutical Analysis And Producers Of America Colorado Motion Fund has additionally donated $175,000 up to now to the committee supporting GOP candidates.
It additionally seems different state-level tremendous PACs shall be serving to GOP Senate candidates this yr, together with Unite for Colorado Motion.
Unite For Colorado obtained $300,000 from the Republican State Management Committee and $250,000 from PDC Power. The group spent $110,000 on canvassing for a number of state Senate and Home candidates in mid-July.
Wells Ranch put $1 million into the Deep Colorado Wells tremendous PAC, a state-level group backing GOP candidates and which spent $358,000 on billboards attacking Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.
The PAC was created by Steven Wells, an oil and gasoline booster who owns the Wells Ranch in Weld County.
The following state-level marketing campaign finance filings are due Sept. 6 for cash raised and spent by means of Aug. 31.
The Colorado Solar is a reader-supported, nonpartisan information group devoted to masking Colorado points. To be taught extra, go to coloradosun.com.
