A deep-pocketed nonprofit that has directed millions of dollars to conservative causes in Colorado over the past two years is heading for a showdown with Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold over whether it can keep its donors secret. Last week, an administrative law judge recommended a $40,000 fine for Unite for Colorado after it […]
Unite for Colorado
Posted inElection 2020, Politics and Government
Top spenders on Colorado ballot measures all claimed victory in 2020 election, new reports show
Dark-money nonprofits, a discount tobacco company and wealthy donors fueled the costly ballot initiative contests in Colorado, and the side that spent the most won all the contested races. The most expensive ballot measure was Proposition 115, a proposed ban on abortion after 22 weeks of pregnancy that voters soundly rejected, 59% to 41%, at […]
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
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 inElection 2020, News, Politics and Government
Out-of-state money fuels U.S. Senate race between Cory Gardner and John Hickenlooper
The TV ads show grim, darkened images of former Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper or Republican Sen. Cory Gardner. The ads sound ominous, with solemn music and deep-voiced narrators. These are the sorts of messages that super PACs and dark money nonprofits have already spent more than $27 million on, targeting Colorado’s two major-party Senate candidates. […]