Does Boebert’s Twitter fame help her raise money?
Three days into the new year, her first day in office, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert unveiled a slick campaign ad that was viewed millions of times. It drew a rebuke by Washington, D.C.’s police chief because it appeared to show unlawful gun possession and earned the Republican congresswoman national headlines.
What it did not do is bring in big donations.
Boebert’s campaign filed a quarterly fundraising report Thursday that offers the first glimpse into whether her rightwing virality and social media stardom are a boon to her campaign coffers. The report suggests mixed results: Boebert’s campaign received only two donations worth $100 or more in the three days after the Jan. 3 ad, but viral posts in March earned her far more medium and large donations.
Campaigns do not have to list donors and dates for small contributions, so it’s unknown how many small donors gave to Boebert’s campaign. Donations of $200 or more must be itemized with dates and donor information.
A video released March 8 by her congressional office showed Boebert walking around the Capitol telling House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to tear down a security barrier that went up after the Jan. 6 riot. The video, which was not paid for by her campaign and did not solicit donations, has been viewed more than 1 million times
on Twitter. Her campaign received 21 itemized donations that day, valued at $8,275.
On March 9, Boebert urged supporters to donate to her campaign in response to a viral Twitter hashtag that called for her to be imprisoned. Her campaign received 33 itemized donations that day worth $17,531 and 41 the next totaling $15,381.
Boebert ultimately raised $846,156 between New Year’s Day and March 31, a strong fundraising quarter at the beginning of a nearly two-year defense of her job representing western and southern Colorado against several Democratic challengers.
In other federal fundraising news:
• The Jan. 6 riot also played into Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse’s campaign spending. The congressman put $10,400 from his campaign account toward security in February, when he was a prosecutor in former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Anlance Protection, the Fort Collins company his campaign hired, specializes in “intelligence gathering, threat assessment, tactical planning and proactive security measures.”
• State Sen. Kerry Donovan led the Democratic field in the 3rd District, challenging Boebert with a $643,596 haul. She received four $5,800 donations — the maximum allowed under law — from members of the Walton family (Walmart), as well as a $2,900 donation from Robin Hickenlooper, wife of U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper. Former U.S. Senate candidates Trish Zornio and Dan Baer donated as well.
• State Rep. Donald Valdez, who is running in the 3rd District for a second time after falling short in 2020, raised $67,150 last quarter, including a $2,800 donation from Boulder author T.A. Barron.
• Sol Sandoval, a Pueblo social worker and activist running in the 3rd, raised $45,526. Much of that, $10,000, came from When Democrats Turn Out, a political action committee. $2,900 came from Merle Chambers, a former oil and gas CEO. Diane Mitsch Bush, who lost to Boebert in 2020, donated $500, as did state Rep. Edie Hooton, D-Boulder.
• Colin Wilhelm, a Glenwood Springs defense attorney and 3rd District candidate, raised $14,369 for his Democratic campaign, including an $8,000 loan.
• U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet raised $1.2 million last quarter and had about the same amount on hand at the end of March. Bennet is up for re-election next year but doesn’t have a Republican challenger yet.