$10M already fueling guv race
A year before the 2018 election, details foreshadow a costly contest to come.
State Treasurer Walker Stapleton is dominating the contest for campaign cash in the Colorado governor’s race, even though he raised little to date for his campaign.
Before he announced as a candidate, the Republican helped steer more than $653,000 to a super PAC supporting his campaign and locked down an impressive list of top GOP donors to put $716,000 in the bank.
Stapleton raised just $8,000 for his campaign because he entered the race a week before the fundraising deadline. But he is poised to get a much bigger haul at a November fundraiser hosted by former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan that will feature many of the same donors who gave to the super PAC, Better Colorado Now.
His footprint — and the unsettled nature of the race — left little money for the other Republican candidates, according to campaign finance reports released this week. District Attorney George Brauchler, the top Republican fundraiser from July through September, raised a meager $99,000, while investment banker Doug Robinson, a nephew of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, managed $75,000.
The Democratic contenders for governor made a far better showing in the most recent fundraising quarter, with all five prominent candidates receiving more than double the top Republican candidate.
Former state Sen. Mike Johnston led the Democratic field, with $725,000 in his account to start October after receiving $321,000 in contributions with most of his top donors from out of state, reports show. And a super PAC supporting his candidacy, Frontier Fairness, raised $300,000 from two wealthy donors, ending the quarter with $246,000 on hand.
U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, donated another $370,000 to his campaign, putting his total investment through September at $629,000. Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne raised $374,000 in her first two months in the Democratic primary.
All told, the new reports show the governor’s race is approaching the $10 million mark a year before the 2018 election and foreshadows an expensive contest to come.
Republican Victor Mitchell, who posted $9,000 in donations this quarter, is more insulated from the money troubles of his rivals. He loaned $3 million to his campaign, and $2.3 million remains in the bank, making him the top-funded GOP candidate at the moment.
But the outside money funneling into super PACs that can accept unlimited contributions is expected to define the race.
Better Colorado Now hosted a major fundraiser that featured Stapleton before he announced his bid — a move that drew controversy. But it showcased the bold-faced support for the two-term treasurer who is a member of the Bush family.
The donors included $50,000 from Gregg Engles, the organization’s chairman and a Texas food services executive; $52,500 from Greg Maffei, the CEO of Liberty Media companies; $10,000 from Broncos president John Elway; $25,000 from Bill DeWitt, the president of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team; and $1,000 from Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and presidential candidate.
Stapleton is putting his own money into the race, too. Since he began, he has injected $260,000 into his campaign, reports show. His campaign consultant, Michael Fortney, did not return a message seeking comment Tuesday. But Stapleton, in a recent interview, said: “I plan to raise far more than I invest, but I’m in this thing to win it.”
George Brauchler, the 18th Judicial District attorney, mocked the super PAC backing Stapleton on Twitter by linking it to Jeb Bush’s failed political committee, Right to Rise. But a super PAC supporting Brauchler’s candidacy, dubbed Colorado Strong, didn’t receive a single contribution, reports show.
“George Brauchler is not going to win the race for dollars, but he will win the vote, and I feel really good about where things stand in the race,” said Alan Philp, a veteran GOP strategist who leads the committee.
Brauchler and the other GOP candidates are trying to emerge from the pack — one overshadowed by the possible entry of former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo.
A handful of other Republican candidates are raising little cash. Stephen Barlock, one of President Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters, raised $4,000. He spent $340 at the Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival, $178 for a campaign jacket and $1.92 for bubble gum used in an advertising photo shoot.