October 20th 2024.
The latest campaign finance reports in Colorado have revealed that the spending on various measures on the state's ballots has now exceeded a whopping $24.5 million. The two campaigns that have been leading the charge are the ones pushing for a revamp of the state's election system and those advocating for the protection of abortion access in the state's constitution.
According to the updated reports from the last week, the total amount raised by all the campaigns for and against more than a dozen state ballot measures in the upcoming November 5th election has now surpassed a staggering $31 million, including non-monetary donations. The campaign for Proposition 131, which aims to change the election system for several offices, has reported a fundraising amount of approximately $12 million and has already spent $9.1 million with less than three weeks remaining until the end of voting.
On the other hand, the campaign to enshrine abortion access in the state's constitution through Amendment 79 has spent a total of almost $6 million, while another $1.6 million has been spent to oppose Amendment 80, which seeks to elevate the right to school choice to the constitution. The campaign to ban hunting of mountain lions and bobcats in the state law through Proposition 127 has also spent a considerable amount of $2.5 million, with an additional $1.3 million spent by the campaign opposing it.
Some other notable spending by the reported ballot campaigns includes $1.1 million to support Proposition 129, which aims to establish a new type of veterinary care provider, and another $951,086 to oppose it. Additionally, $459,000 has been spent to support Amendment J, which would remove outdated anti-same-sex marriage language from the state constitution, while a total of $100,314 has been spent to oppose Propositions 128 and 130.
The biggest fundraising haul so far has been reported by the supporters of Prop. 131, with a fundraising amount of $10.7 million. However, this figure does not include the significant contributions of over $1.3 million that were disclosed last week in separate filings. The campaign has received generous donations from a small number of donors, with former CEO of DaVita, Kent Thiry, being the top donor with a contribution of over $1.4 million. Other notable contributors include Jeff Chambers, a private equity professional from California, and Ross Jones of Berkshire Partners, who have each donated $321,685. The campaign has also received support from Reed Hastings of Netflix and Ben Walton of the Walmart-founding family, as well as a $50,000 donation from Larry Mizel, a prominent donor to former President Donald Trump, and $100,000 from Kimbal Musk, the brother of Elon Musk.
Another significant contributor to the campaign is the dark-money group Voters for the American Center, which has donated nearly $500,000 to the campaign in the last week. Interestingly, this group shares an address and personnel with Longwell Partners, a communications firm that has launched Republican groups opposing Trump. On the other hand, the primary group opposing Prop. 131, called Voter Rights Colorado, has raised approximately $243,000 and has spent $33,222, with support from other organizations such as Cobalt Advocates, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, among others.
In other fundraising news, Kent Thiry recently donated $50,000 to the campaign for Amendment J, which aims to repeal Colorado's same-sex marriage ban, and $100,000 to Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom, the committee backing Amendment 79. If passed by voters, this amendment would protect abortion access and allow public insurers like Medicaid to cover it in the state. The pro-Amendment 79 group has reported a fundraising amount of nearly $6.3 million and has spent just under $6 million. Its largest supporters include Cobalt Advocates with a donation of $1.6 million and the Open Society Policy Center, a group associated with liberal donor George Soros, with a donation of $1 million. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also contributed $750,000.
On the other hand, three groups opposing Amendment 79 have raised significantly less, with a total of $263,000 in support for Pro-Life Colorado, Vote No on 79, and Coloradans for the Protection of Women and Children, and have spent a total of just under $70,000 combined. Stay updated with all the latest developments in Colorado politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter, The Spot.
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