Political flyers with no mention of who paid for them. Mailers that mention candidates, but with no disclosure of the donors who covered the cost of the messages. Nonprofits donating millions of dollars to super PACs, with no ability for voters to learn where the money came from. And an enforcement system that relies on […]
Tim Neville
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Nearly 1 in 4 lawmakers in the 2018 Colorado legislature landed seats via vacancy committee. And more appointments are coming.
Nearly one in four lawmakers in the Colorado legislature last session had at some point landed in a statehouse seat thanks to a vacancy appointment, a Colorado Sun analysis shows. The side-door entrance to the Colorado General Assembly will remain equally open next year as at least five — and possibly as many as eight […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Super PAC money dominated 2018 election and Democrats controlled the cash race
Super PAC money led Colorado to record-setting spending in the 2018 election, totaling $74 million in all state-level races and exceeding the sums expended by candidates. The total spent in the two-year election cycle surpassed $219 million, according to a Colorado Sun analysis. The amount is a rough estimate that includes publicly disclosed candidate and […]
Posted in2018 Voter Guide, News, Politics and Government
Spending 5 times higher on state Senate races this year than in 2016
Candidates and committees still are scooping up political TV ad time with only eight days until the election comes to a close, adding nearly $2.5 million in spending last week. That brings total election-year spending to $66.9 million, $52.1 million of that on the general election alone. Many of the ads airing focus on the […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
The nastiest Colorado campaign attacks filling your mailbox — and the truth behind them
The images are scary, the text is frightening. The flyers filling Coloradans’ mailboxes are often the political version of a horror movie. Many of them stretch the truth. Some of them are outright wrong. Others are cookie-cutter templates with different candidate photos pasted in. They rarely mention whether a candidate is a Republican or Democrat. […]
Posted inPolitics and Government
Who’s paying for those political ads? Dark money is tough to track in Colorado
It’s not easy to figure out who paid for a political TV ad or mailer in Colorado. The presence of “dark money” — campaign cash that can’t be traced to its original source — is now a staple each election season. It’s particularly prevalent in the race for governor and battleground state Senate districts. And […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
In the battle for the Colorado Senate, Dem candidates raise more money, but cash from outside groups gives GOP the edge
Republican state Sen. Beth Martinez Humenik and her Democratic challenger, state Rep. Faith Winter, are hustling — ringing doorbells and hoping to win votes — in a race that may determine the balance of power in Colorado. But they’re not the only ones knocking on doors or sending mailers. Outside groups are spending heavily in […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Koch brothers political network makes its election 2018 picks in Colorado
Americans for Prosperity, the political arm of the Koch political network, will endorse Walker Stapleton in the governor’s race along with two state Senate candidates, The Colorado Sun has learned. The organization, backed by The Seminar Network, an effort led by conservative billionaire Charles Koch, is preparing to spend significant sums to elect Stapleton and keep the state Senate in Republican […]
Posted inEnergy, News, Politics and Government
Colorado business leaders are behind dark-money political group spending big on state Senate races
A nonprofit with large donors from the oil and gas industry is spending big on cable TV ads to help Republicans in four state Senate contests. The Colorado Economic Leadership Fund is spending $621,370 on ads, according to cable TV contracts filed last week with the Federal Communications Commission. The ads began airing Aug. 22 and are set to […]