NEWS Saturday, June 06, 2026
Lots of money is flowing into Democratic statehouse primaries. Here’s where it’s coming from.
Plus: Signature gathering begins for Dems’ congressional redistricting effort. TV ad check in. Lois Landgraf’s death. Polis last bill signing.
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Desks in the House chamber at the Colorado Capitol are clean and empty Jan. 3, 2023, awaiting the return of lawmakers. (Hart Van Denburg, CPR News, via the Colorado Capitol News Alliance)
About $1 million has flowed through a list of super PACs into Democratic statehouse primaries across the state this year, money that’s being used to help more moderate candidates beat their more liberal opponents.
The common denominators? One Main Street Colorado, the nonprofit dark money group that has been a big player in the state’s legislative Democratic primaries for several election cycles, as well as a newly formed nonprofit, Fair Economy for Coloradans, another dark money organization.
As nonprofits, neither One Main Street Colorado nor Fair Economy for Coloradans, created in January and registered to campaign finance attorney Scott Martinez, have to disclose their donors. (Hence, why The Colorado Sun refers to them as dark money groups.)
But One Main Street’s state-level super PAC, which gets funding from the nonprofit, and Fair Economy for Coloradans have given a combined $600,000 to a group of seven state-level super PACs, six of them formed in May and registered to the same man at a Durango apartment complex, which in turn have been spending the money on ads, mailers and canvassing in Democratic statehouse primaries.
The most substantial of the seven super PACs, and the only one not formed in May, is the Colorado Affordability Project. Created in December and registered to a UPS Store in downtown Denver, the committee has raised about $500,000 and spent all but $150,000, nearly all of it between May 14 and May 27.
The PAC’s donors include the Colorado League of Charter Schools Action ($250,000), the Colorado Association of Realtors ($100,000), Fair Economy for Coloradans ($50,000) and Kent Thiry, the wealthy former CEO of the Denver-based dialysis giant DaVita ($35,000). Those dollars have gone toward helping state Rep. Sean Camacho, D-Denver, win reelection in House District 6; assisting Broomfield City Councilwoman Heidi Henkel to unseat state Rep. Kenny Nguyen in the Democratic primary in House District 33; and to elect Democrat Andres Carrera in Senate District 34.
A look at the other state super PACs being funded by Fair Economy for Coloradans and One Main Street Colorado that are spending in Democratic legislative primaries:
- Promoting Progressive Women, which has received $100,000 from One Main Street Colorado’s super PAC. The group is running Facebook ads supporting Henkel.
- Fighting for a Better Colorado, which has received $75,000 from the One Main Street super PAC. It sent mailers supporting Democratic Aurora Public School board member Anne Keke’s campaign to unseat state Rep. Jamie Jackson, D-Aurora, in House District 41.
- Colorado Mountain Progressives, which has received $100,000 from the One Main Street PAC. It’s running Facebook ads supporting Democrat Chris Floyd in the Democratic primary in House District 13. Floyd is running against Consuelo Redhorse, who has been endorsed by some of the legislature’s most liberal members.
- Adams County United, which received $100,000 from Fair Economy for Coloradans. The group is supporting state Rep. Jacque Phillips’ reelection bid in the Thornton-based House District 31. Phillips is facing a Democratic primary challenge from Gabriel Cervantes.
- Denver Progressives United, which has received $150,000 from Fair Economy for Coloradans. The group is running ads supporting Camacho and opposing his Democratic primary opponent, civil rights attorney Iris Halpern.
- The Progressive Leadership Fund, which has received $24,000 from Fair Economy for Coloradans. It spent all of that money on ads, including one benefitting Carrera.
Andrew Short, the executive director and founder of One Main Street, did not respond to a text message seeking comment.
THE OTHER SIDE
On the other side of the equation is Colorado Labor Action, a state-level super PAC funded by unions.
Here’s some of the PAC’s most notable spending so far:
- $14,000 supporting Nguyen and opposing Henkel
- Nearly $24,000 opposing Camacho
- About $60,000 opposing Carrera
- Roughly $11,000 opposing Keke
OTHER CAMPAIGN FINANCE NEWS
State candidates and committees this week had to report their fundraising and spending from May 14 to May 27.
Rocky Mountain Way, the state-level super PAC supporting U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s gubernatorial campaign, raised more than $1 million during the span. Its major donations included:
- $300,000 from the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, bringing the group’s total donations to Rocky Mountain Way to $775,000
- $200,000 from investor Jeremy Mindich
- $175,000 from the Campaign for Great Public Schools
- $110,000 from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, bringing his total investment in Rocky Mountain Way to $2.6 million
- $100,000 from the Colorado League of Charter Schools
- $100,000 from television writer and producer Joan Ganz Cooney
- $50,000 from billionaire Amos Hostetter Jr.
- $25,000 each from Cigna and Uber
The PAC spent north of $2 million, most of it on TV ads, and ended the reporting period with $3 million in the bank.
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U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat, speaks during a panel discussion May 29 about trying to get more people to enjoy the outdoors during a presentation at the King Center during the Outside Days outdoor industry conference in downtown Denver. (William Woody, Special to The Colorado Sun)
Fighting for Colorado, the super PAC supporting Weiser, raised about $90,000 during the reporting period and had about $825,000 at the end of the span after spending $341,000 on ads.
Bennet’s and Weiser’s campaigns spent large amounts on ads and mailers during the reporting period.
On the Republican side of the governor’s race, Sema Construction, based in Centennial, gave $400,000 during the reporting period to Freedom IEC, which is supporting Victor Marx’s campaign. The super PAC spent about $245,000 during the span on TV and digital ads.
REDISTRICTING EFFORT PICKS UP STEAM
Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, the group funding the Democratic effort to redraw Colorado’s congressional map, raised $1.75 million during the reporting period. That included $1 million from the Fairness Project, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.; American Opportunity Action, another D.C. nonprofit; and $70,000 from Virginians for Fair Elections, also a nonprofit.
Of the roughly $900,000 the committee spent during the span, $843,000 of it went to signature gathering.
Coloradans for a Level Playing Field had more than $1.1 million in the bank at the end of the reporting period.
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WHAT TO WATCH IN THE WEEK AHEAD
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- Monday is the first day county clerks can begin mailing ballots to voters ahead of the June 30 primary.
- The Colorado Sun is hosting a forum with the Democrats running to be Colorado’s next attorney general at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs at the University of Denver. Candidates Hetal Doshi, Michael Dougherty and David Seligman have confirmed their participation. Secretary of State Jena Griswold has not said if she will attend. Find details and register to attend here.
- The deadline for Gov. Jared Polis to sign or veto bills passed during the legislative session is June 12. He may also let bills become law without his signature.
- The Sun is hosting a forum for the two Democrats running to be Colorado’s next governor at 10 a.m. June 13 at the Lory Student Center on the Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins featuring U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser. Find details and register to attend here.
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THE NARRATIVE
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TV ad spending in the Democratic primaries in Colorado’s 1st and 8th congressional districts
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State Rep. Manny Rutinel and former state Rep. Shannon Bird participate May 28 in a forum for the Democratic candidates running in the 8th Congressional District at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. (Tanya Fabian, Special to The Colorado Sun)
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We’re starting to get a clearer picture of the big-time TV ad money being spent in Colorado’s two most competitive Democratic congressional primaries this year thanks to AdImpact.
The TV advertising intelligence service ran an analysis of the ad spending through May 28 in the 1st and 8th congressional district Democratic primaries for The Unaffiliated.
Here’s what it found:
- In the 8th District, Women Votes, the super PAC linked to Emily’s List that’s backing former state Rep. Shannon Bird, is helping her keep up with state Rep. Manny Rutinel’s TV ad spending, which has eclipsed $1.1 million. Women Votes’ TV ad investment in the race was just over $1 million at the end of May, while Bird’s campaign had bought about $700,000 in air time.
- Rutinel doesn’t have the same kind of super PAC spending supporting his campaign (for now, see more below). The Latino Victory Fund had spent about $120,000 on TV ad time benefiting Rutinel through May 28.
- In the 1st District, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette had dropped nearly $170,000 on TV ads through the end of May. Her main primary opponent, Democratic socialist Melat Kiros, had spent about $65,000 on air time.
The super PAC Somos PAC announced this week it plans to spend $1.5 million on mailers and bilingual digital and radio ads to support Rutinel. It’s the group’s first time investing in a primary.
“With a real opportunity to flip this seat, who emerges from this primary matters,” Melissa Morales, president and founder of Somos PAC, said in a statement. “The stakes extend far beyond June. Not only will the strength of the nominee impact Democrats’ ability to compete and win in November, it will determine whether this community sends a fighter to Congress or another politician willing to treat Latino voters as a stepping stone on the path to higher office.”
The incumbent in the 8th District, Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, doesn’t have a primary challenger this year. But he’s already benefited from some major TV ad spending on his behalf from groups like the American Action Network, American Energy Action, the American Prosperity Alliance and Securing American Greatness.
In terms of anti-Evans spending, the House Majority Forward, the super PAC linked to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, had booked about $700,000 in TV ad time in the 8th District through May 28. The group Protect Our Jobs has paid for about $475,000 in TV ad time through the end of May.
A TV ad contract filed with the Federal Communications Commission also shows that Evans has booked about $100,000 in TV ad time on Telemundo starting June 11 and running through July 19 as he gears up for the November election.
Colorado Sun staff writer Taylor Dolven contributed to this report.
ADS IN OTHER RACES
In the 5th Congressional District, Democrat Jessica Killin is running her first TV ad of the election cycle. It’s also the first TV ad run by a Democratic candidate in the district centered in Colorado Springs in at least as long as we can remember.
Killin’s ad (view it here) is an introduction to voters. She faces Joe Reagan in the Democratic primary June 30.
So far, Killin’s ad spending — at least on broadcast — appears pretty small. We only spotted about $13,000 in contracts this week.
In the Republican gubernatorial primary, state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer’s campaign is out with an ad touting her Capitol experience. It includes a clip of her walking up the Capitol’s outdoor steps, which — like an earlier Rutinel ad we wrote about — gets very close to violating a prohibition on sitting state lawmakers campaigning from the Capitol.
Kirkmeyer’s campaign is basically broke — it had less than $100,000 in the bank May 27 — so it’s unlikely you’re going to see that ad very often.
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Want to reach Colorado political influencers and support quality local journalism? The Sun can help get your message attention through a sponsorship of The Unaffiliated, the must-read politics and policy newsletter in Colorado. Contact Sylvia Harmon at underwriting@coloradosun.com for more information.
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THE POLITICAL TICKER
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Rep. Lois Landgraf, a Fountain Republican, at the second regular session of the 72nd Colorado General Assembly convenes at the Colorado Capitol on Jan. 8, 2020, in Denver. (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun)
OBITUARY
Former state Rep. Lois Landgraf, a Fountain Republican, has died. She was in her mid-70s.
Landgraf represented House District 21 for four terms, from 2013 to 2021.
“Lois was a staple of the Republican Party and a steady, trusted presence in El Paso County, always fighting for commonsense conservative solutions that made our communities safer and stronger,” the Colorado House GOP said in a written statement. “During her time in the House, Lois championed legislation that made our communities safer and stronger. Her legacy is written into Colorado law and carried forward in the veterans, families, and communities who are safer and more secure because of her work.”
POPULAR CULTURE
Republican gubernatorial candidate Victor Marx got “The Daily Show” treatment. Watch the clip here.
BILL TRACKER
Gov. Jared Polis signed several bills into law this week. Here are a few of note:
- House Bill 1322: Coloradans who undergo conversion therapy — meant to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity — will be able to sue their mental health providers for damages with no statute of limitations under this law.
- Senate Bill 36: This law will require the parole board to consider more people in prison for release when the state’s prison system reaches a new, more conservative overcrowding threshold. It is aimed at reducing the state’s prison population at a time when the system is overcrowded and understaffed.
- House Bill 1113: This law will make a series of changes to Colorado’s elections, including allowing county clerks to mail out ballots earlier — up to 29 days before Election Day — and to let the governor declare a disaster emergency if there is a major election disruption. It will also regulate voting in jails and set out a process for challenging the validity of someone’s voter registration.
- Senate Bill 131: This law will prohibit online sportsbooks from sending push notifications or text messages encouraging bets or deposits, ban the use of credit cards to fund sports betting accounts, and limit bettors to six deposits per day. It will also prohibit sportsbooks from targeting people under age 21 with advertising and require operators to share betting data with the state.
- House Bill 1126: Regulations governing Colorado gun dealers will be tightened under this law, which seeks to further ensure firearms dealers secure their weapons against burglaries, clarify who is an employee of a gun store and define which types of guns are subject to record keeping. It will create fines for violations.
- House Bill 1424: Rideshare companies, like Uber and Lyft, will have to develop policies to prevent drivers from sharing a single account and complete background checks on drivers every six months. This measure is similar to a bill the governor vetoed last year. It will also prohibit people convicted of offenses like assault, harassment and kidnapping from driving for a rideshare company.
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK
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Gov. Jared Polis, surrounded by lawmakers, bill supporters and family, signs House Bill 1033, known as the TAMALE Act, which makes it easier for people to sell homemade meals, like tamales and burritos. The bill signing Thursday at the governor’s mansion in downtown Denver was Polis’ final as governor. (Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun)
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Jared Polis on Thursday signed his 3,713th bill including what he indicated was his final bill signing as governor (assuming there are no special sessions before he leaves office in January).
The measure? House Bill 1033, known as the Tamale Act, which makes it easier for people to sell homemade meals, like tamales and burritos.
Yes, there were tamales on hand for the occasion, as well as a mariachi band. The governor’s family made a rare appearance, including his brother, who brought a stuffed animal (duck) with a “lame-duck governor” sign attached.
For those keeping count, the governor has also vetoed 55 bills — so far. He hinted to The Unaffiliated that while he’s done signing measures, there may still be vetoes to come.
The deadline for Polis to sign or veto bills passed during the legislative session is next Friday, June 12. He may also let bills become law without his signature.
“My right hand is very relieved that I’m done,” Polis said in an interview after the bill signing.
With the legislative part of his gubernatorial tenure done, Polis said he is focused on driving down the cost of homeowner’s insurance, reducing processing times for occupational licensure and air permitting, and improving the public-facing parts of state government, like the Division of Motor Vehicles and the state’s myColorado app.
RUNNER UP PHOTO OF THE WEEK
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
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