A view of the Colorado Capitol on Jan. 25, 2024. (Quentin Young/Colorado Newsline)
State-level political committees have spent millions of dollars in recent weeks in key competitive legislative races that will decide the scale of Democratic majority in the next session of the Colorado General Assembly.
That includes a huge influx of cash in Senate District 5, where Republican Rep. Marc Catlin is competing against Democrat Cole Buerger, and in Senate District 12, where Democratic Rep. Marc Snyder is vying against Republican El Paso County Commissioner Stan VanderWerf.
Those political committees can raise and spend an unlimited amount of money but are not allowed to directly coordinate with candidates. The most recent campaign finance filings capture raising and spending between Oct. 10 and Oct. 23 and were the last filings due ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5.
The Senate Majority Fund, which aims to increase Republican representation in the Colorado Senate, spent about $2.3 million in the reporting period to boost their candidates. The group is funded by GOPAC Election Fund, which works to get Republicans elected to state legislatures across the country. It spent $1.2 million in advertising to support Catlin during the reporting period, bringing the total it has spent in that race this election cycle to about $2 million.
The Western Slope district is currently represented by outgoing Republican Sen. Perry Will, who was appointed to the seat and is now running for Garfield County commissioner. It is the first time voters will choose a senator since redistricting in 2021. An analysis from that process found that the district leans right by about 3 percentage points, making it a key race in determining whether Democrats secure a supermajority in the chamber.
The committee is significantly outspending Catlin’s own campaign, which reported about $56,000 in expenditures during the same time period, mostly on advertising.
The Senate Majority Fund is also dumping money in Senate District 12 to support VanderWerf and oppose Snyder. It spent over $1 million in the district during the reporting period, split between television advertising, digital media and door-to-door canvassing.
In contrast, VanderWerf’s campaign spent just over $7,000.
Senate District 12 is based in El Paso County and is currently represented by Republican Sen. Bob Gardner. It leans 2.4 percentage points to the right.
Meanwhile, the Democrats in those two districts are also getting support from left-leaning committees, though not as much. All Together Colorado, which supports Democratic Senate candidates, spent about $1 million in the reporting period. That includes about $375,000 in advertising against Catlin and about $55,000 in advertising in support of Buerger, a Glenwood Springs small business owner.
Buerger’s campaign spent about $30,000 during the reporting period.
In Senate District 12, All Together Colorado spent about $270,000 supporting Snyder. Snyder’s campaign spent about $70,000.
The group is also spending money supporting Democratic Sen. Chris Kolker in his reelection bid in Senate District 16.
All Together Colorado’s biggest donors since 2023 have been the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a political nonprofit that supports liberal candidates, Conservation Colorado and the Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.
Colorado House
On the House side, Colorado Way Forward spent a little more than $1 million supporting Democratic House candidates and opposing Republican ones. That includes about $112,000 opposing Rebecca Keltie, the Republican who is challenging Democratic Rep. Steph Vigil in House District 16 and about $140,000 opposing Republican George Mumma, who is running against Democratic Rep. Tammy Story in House District 25.
Colorado Way Forward’s biggest donations have also come from Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and the Sixteen Thirty Fund.
New Day Colorado, the House Republican campaign arm, is spending less than the other major state level political committees. It reported about $330,000 in spending during the reporting period, focused on the competitive races in House District 16, House District 25 and House District 43, which is between Democratic Rep. Bob Marshall and Republican Matt Burcham.
New Day Colorado gets its funding from an affiliated committee and business interests including Phillips 66 and the Sports Betting Alliance.
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