A Democratic state Senate primary in Aurora is being targeted with hundreds of thousands of dollars in spending by a group that appears to be maneuvering to hide its donors, raising questions about the organization’s intentions and how it may affect the trajectory of the race.
Representation Matters has spent $271,000 thus far on mailers, digital ads and canvassing to help Aurora attorney Idris Keith in his Senate District 28 race against state Rep. Mike Weissman. Keith has the backing of business groups, while Weissman is endorsed by a slate of his Democratic colleagues in the legislature, as well as union, environmental and progressive groups.
The district is so favorable to Democrats that whoever wins the primary will almost certainly win in November, too.
The big spending in the district, which in total accounts for about 20% of all the $1.7 million in outside spending on state legislative primaries reported through midday Thursday, reflects how much of an impact individual senators can have on the trajectory of legislation in the Capitol. Over the past two years, progressive housing and drug policy bills have been blocked in Senate committees where there is a one- or two-vote Democratic majority.
Weissman, a lawyer who served eight years in the House, including as the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, is decrying the spending.
“I’m surprised and dismayed to see this very large amount of essentially untraceable mystery money coming into north Aurora and Colorado,” he said. “For eight years as a representative I have tried to go to bat for my district and my city … to stand up for working families, even if that means taking on powerful interests.”
In an interview with The Colorado Sun, Keith said “it’s unfortunate that we have the infiltration of big money into our political campaigns.” He highlights how he’s agreed to adhere to the state’s voluntary donor limits, which allows him to collect larger individual donations but caps his campaign’s spending at $141,950.
Representation Matters, as an independent expenditure committee, which is similar to a super PAC, cannot coordinate with Keith’s campaign.
The Representation Matters mailers and ads seen by The Sun have so far all been supportive of Keith and don’t attack Weissman. They feature photos of Keith with his children and say he will “stand up to racism in state government” and “fight to protect women’s rights.”
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FOLLOWING THE MONEY
Because of how Representation Matters was formed and funded, it’s unclear who is paying for the group’s work.
The committee filed with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office on May 20 with the express purpose of helping Keith get elected. That was three days after one of its pro-Keith mailers was sent out.
State campaign finance filings show Representation Matters received $320,000 on May 22 from a different state spending committee called Brighter Colorado Futures.
Brighter Colorado Futures registered as a committee on May 10 and received $315,000 from a federal super PAC called Democracy Wins on May 21.
Democracy Wins registered with the Federal Election Commission on May 13 — and it won’t have to report its donors until July 15, nearly three weeks after the June 25 primaries in Colorado. When it reports its donors, it may be that it is funded by a political nonprofit that doesn’t disclose where its money came from. The group’s website portrays it as working to defeat Republican U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert.
All of Representation Matters’ expenses to support Keith thus far occurred before the May 26 deadline after which such spending has to be reported within 48 hours. That kept the group’s spending secret for more than two weeks after the first mailer went out.
It’s not atypical for large sums to be spent on legislative primaries or general elections in Colorado, but it always happens with a purpose. The funds often come from an issue group hoping to advance a cause or a wing of a political party hoping to expand their ranks. Since Senate District 28 is a safe Democratic seat, it’s unlikely to be the latter.
A CLOSER LOOK AT DISTRICT 28
Senate District 28 is currently represented by Democratic Sen. Rhonda Fields, who is term-limited and running to be an Arapahoe County commissioner. She hasn’t endorsed a successor.
“I want the people to make their decision,” she said of why she hasn’t made an endorsement in the primary. “We have two very confident, capable candidates.”
She said Senate District 28 residents are increasingly facing food and economic insecurity, and that she believed Weissman and Keith have solutions to address those issues.
The district is highly favorable to Democrats. Fields won her 2022 reelection bid by 37 percentage points.
The district is 39% Latino, 32% white and 18% Black, according to 2022 census numbers. That is much more diverse than most of the legislative districts in the state. Weissman is white, while Keith is Black.
Keith’s donors include small-donor committees operated by the Colorado Medical Society, Colorado Association of Realtors, Colorado Apartment Association, Apartment Association of Metro Denver and COPIC, the state’s medical malpractice insurer. His website features endorsements from the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, the Colorado Medical Society and the Colorado Association of Realtors.
Weissman’s donors include committees run by several unions, the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, Conservation Colorado and Healthier Colorado. Weissman has endorsements from 10 Democratic state senators, Attorney General Phil Weiser and U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, as well as the Working Families Party, Colorado AFL-CIO, Colorado Education Association and Colorado Ceasefire.
Keith has raised $67,000 compared with the $109,000 raised by Weissman. Keith had spent $54,000 and had $13,000 in cash as of May 29, while Weissman had spent $32,000 and had about $77,000 in cash.
Weissman hasn’t benefited from the same level of political group spending that Keith is receiving, but in the past week three groups have started spending to support him.
Conservation Colorado Victory Fund, an environmental group, has spent $30,000 on two mailers supporting Weissman. Colorado Labor Action, which backs pro-union candidates, has spent about $30,000 on canvassing and ads for Weissman.
Better Schools for a Stronger Colorado spent $66,000 for digital ads supporting Weissman and opposing Keith, along with about $6,000 on phone calls supporting Weissman. Better Schools is funded primarily by Stand for Children, a nonprofit based in Portland, Oregon that doesn’t disclose its donors.
Keith was originally running this year to represent House District 36. He switched to run for state Senate in August. He ran for a seat on the Aurora City Council in 2021, but dropped out of the contest before the election, saying he wanted to devote more time to his family. Keith also ran unsuccessfully to be an Arapahoe County commissioner in 2020, losing by about 150 votes to his Republican opponent.
ELECTION 2024
Elisabeth Epps targeted by outside spending in House District 6
State Rep. Elisabeth Epps has been targeted by tens of thousands of dollars in dark money spending in her House District 6 Democratic primary race against Denver attorney Sean Camacho.
Fighting For a Stronger Colorado is a state-level super PAC formed in February that’s sent four mailers to voters in the district since mid-May at a cost of about $57,000.
The group had raised $66,000 through Monday, roughly $55,000 of which came from Citizens For a Great Denver, a political nonprofit that doesn’t disclose its donors. The nonprofit helped block Candi CdeBaca from being reelected last year to the Denver City Council.
Fighting For a Stronger Colorado also received $8,000 from the Colorado Democracy Action Fund, another state-level super PAC that has been entirely funded by donations from Education Reform Now Advocacy, a national political nonprofit that doesn’t disclose its donors.
Two other donors to Fighting For a Stronger Colorado are:
Servicios Sigue Action Fund has spent nearly $35,000 on advertising to support Camacho after receiving $37,000 from fellow state-level super PAC A Whole Lot of People for Change.
Thus far, there is no outside spending supporting Epps.
CANDIDATE MONEY
Camacho’s campaign has raised some $140,000 this cycle, about four times more than what Epps has raised. But Camacho is spending his money hand over fist and had just $10,000 left as of May 29.
Epps hasn’t been raising or spending much money in recent weeks as Election Day approaches.
OOPS…
State Rep. Tim Hernández, another Denver Democrat being targeted for defeat by Fighting For a Stronger Colorado spending, had a banner on his campaign website that said the primary is July 25.
It’s on June 25.
The banner was wrong Thursday but had been corrected by Friday morning.
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THE POLITICAL TICKER
4TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Former state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg has ditched his vow to avoid a negative campaign in the Republican primary in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District. In a new TV ad that will air through Election Day in the Denver TV market, Sonnenberg says that “we can do better than Lauren Boebert” and that “I will not embarrass you with scandals.” The ad features a slideshow of images, including one in which Sonnenberg is posing with former state Sens. Randy Baumgardner and Larry Crowder, who both were accused of sexual harassment when they were serving in the legislature. A third party investigation found the accusations against both Republicans credible.
COLORADO GOP
Aurora City Councilman Curtis Gardner has left the Colorado GOP over the party’s anti-LGBTQ messaging this week. “The Republican Party, and specifically the Colorado GOP, no longer stands for the issues that I care about,” he wrote on social media. Meanwhile, the party sent out another mailer benefiting Chairman Dave Williams in his Republican primary bid in the 5th Congressional District. The mailer attacks Williams’ opponent, conservative commentator and activist Jeff Crank. Finally, Jeffco Republican Chairwoman Nancy Pallozzi sent out a news release Thursday urging Williams to resign and including a petition seeking to force a party central committee vote to oust him.
JOINT FUNDRAISER
The Colorado Red Wave Victory Fund is a new joint federal fundraising committee formed to benefit Jeff Crank in the 5th Congressional District and state Rep. Gabe Evans in the 8th Congressional District. Both are Republicans running in the June 25 primary and both are backed by Americans for Prosperity Action. Joint fundraising committees allow donors to write a single check that’s distributed among participants.
DEMOCRATS EYE LOCAL RACES
Colorado Democrats hope to bolster their ranks on county commissions with a new program aimed at encouraging Democratic candidates at the county, municipal and school board levels. Democrats hold only 34% of Colorado’s county commission seats, according to the Colorado Democratic Party. The project will include a grant program to county Democratic parties across the state.
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