Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government

How to tell who’s behind political messages flooding screens in Colorado ahead of the 2020 election

The television commercials are airing during Denver Broncos games. The mailers are filling the postal box. The texts are popping up on the phone. When they arrive, a series of questions come to mind: Who’s paying for these political messages? Are they truthful? What do the folks behind them want? The 2020 election has driven […]

Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government

Democrats dominate campaign fundraising and spend big to build majority in the Colorado legislature

Democrats are outspending Republicans in state legislative races, and super PACs are pouring in $10 million, as the majority party looks poised to make gains in both chambers. A few of the competitive races are exceeding the $1 million mark with the most expensive contest — a state Senate seat in Adams County — topping […]

Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government

Ethics complaints. Big spending. A criminal allegation. This may be the nastiest campaign in Colorado.

Suzanne Staiert’s state Senate campaign slogan is “Practical. Not Political.” But the Republican competing for an open Centennial seat is finding herself in the midst of a political maelstrom and new questions are surfacing about her work as a lawyer.  Staiert is representing a dark money nonprofit whose affiliated super PAC spent $175,000 on advertising […]

Posted inPolitics and Government

Dark money group drops $500,000 to help put a paid family leave initiative on November ballot

A dark money Democratic powerhouse is fueling a potential ballot initiative to require paid sick leave. Sixteen Thirty Fund put $500,000 into Colorado Families First, an issue committee that is aiming to put the measure on the November ballot, according to new campaign finance reports filed this week. Sixteen Thirty, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that […]

Posted inNews, Politics and Government

The 2020 battle to control Colorado’s state Senate is shaping up to be a big money election

The battle for control of the Colorado Senate in the 2020 election is drawing big money ahead of the November election, and the same is true with a handful of ballot measures.  The latest campaign finance reports show Republicans hold a slight edge against Democrats in terms of super PAC fundraising through the end of […]