#COpolitics follows the campaign cash, October 2017 edition

Colorado state-level candidates and committees are filing campaign finance disclosures today, and #COpolitics is following the big statewide races here.

Just a few questions we could get answers to while following the candidates, who file reports covering July 1 through Sept. 30:

• What will U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter do with that $271,000 he had in the bank before dropping out of the governor’s race?
• How much more did U.S. Rep. Jared Polis put in his gubernatorial kitty last quarter? (That’d be a bunch more.)
• Are there any other big money makers in the most crowded, and likely most expensive, Colorado governor’s race in decades?

Polis put another $370,000 in cash into the contest, plus more on expenses, bringing his total to $630,000 of the $732,000 he’s raised. That still doesn’t top former state Sen. Mike Johnston’s nearly $1.3 million raised.

Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne raised nearly $385,000 during her first quarter as a Democratic candidate for governor. Plenty of lawyers and lobbyists on her list of top contributors. Among those giving the $1,150 maximum: lobbyists Travis Berry, Mike Beasley and RD Sewald. Also Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman, Daniel Ritchie, chairman of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Rob Katz of Vail Resorts and former Senate minority leader now lobbyist Mike Feeley.

Republican Treasurer Walker Stapleton filed his report Saturday, having raised $8,031 in the first few days he was in the race. He also loaned his campaign $10,000.

But the really big news here is a filing announcing another $250,000 he put into his campaign on Oct. 12. That puts Stapleton in league with GOP businessman Victor Mitchell, Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Polis and other self-funding candidates.

In 2010, Stapleton spent nearly $454,000 on his first race for treasurer.

Mitchell put another $5,000 into his campaign, while raising nearly $10,000 from others. He spent nearly $233,000 on advertising, including some cable TV ad buys. But he still has $2.3 million in the bank.

Democratic candidate Noel Ginsberg is playing the money game, too. He forgave an earlier $100,000 loan and put another $50,000 into his campaign at the end of September.

In a revised July report, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter is reporting returning more than $209,000 of the $343,000 he received between April and June. Perlmutter dropped out of the governor’s race in mid-July, then decided to run for reelection in his 7th Congressional District seat.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Cynthia Coffman filed a report this morning and raised $10,600, which is more than the $8,010 she raised in the second quarter. The questions remain: What is she running for – AG or governor? Or is she running?

Because Democratic AG candidate Phil Weiser continues to outraise even many gubernatorial candidates, bringing in nearly $389,000 in the most recent quarter.

In the open treasurer’s contest, GOP state Rep. Polly Lawrence is leading the way with $91,000 raised. And Democrat Jena Griswold’s nearly $90,000 in her first quarter surpasses the $80,000 raised thus far by Republican incumbent Secretary of State Wayne Williams.

Committees

Better Colorado Now, the independent expenditure committee supporting Stapleton (though they say they oppose “Democratic candidates for governor”) raised more than $650,000 when including in-kind contributions.

Big donors include Greg Engles of Whitewave Foods at $50,000; Broncos general manager John Elway at $10,000, St. Louis Cardinals Chairman William Dewitt Jr., Geoffrey Lord of Lord Realty and Liberty Media CEO Gregory Maffei at $25,000 each. Also, Stapleton cousin Jeb (!) Bush for $1,000.

Who/what is the Frontier Fairness PAC? Venture capitalists taking on politics, it appears.

LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman kicked $250,000 into that independent spending committee that says it’s supporting Colorado candidates. Recode reported last month that Hoffman is fed up with President Donald Trump and is spending his money in several states on Democratic races. James Kelley of Denver venture capital firm Vestar donated $50,000 to the PAC.

Other big money includes $100,000 from Anschutz Corp. (owned by Phil Anschutz, who also owns the Gazette in Colorado Springs) to the Colorado Republican Independent Expenditure Committee. Pete Coors and investor Martin Landis also gave $100,000 to the party-controlled committee.