Seth Klamann is a statehouse reporter at the Denver Post, covering policy, state government and the legislature. He previously worked for the Gazette, the Casper Star-Tribune and the Omaha World-Herald. He's a graduate of the University of Missouri and a proud Kansas City native.
LEFT: State Rep. Mike Weissman, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for an Aurora state senate seat, left, talks with Casey Henderson while canvassing in Aurora on Thursday, June 20, 2024. RIGHT: Idris Keith, Democratic candidate for the Colorado Senate, right, hands a flyer to Jason Fulton over Fulton’s dog Louis while canvassing in Aurora on Thursday, June 20, 2024.
“Because we’ve been successful in not only winning large majorities but also because the Republican Party has so completely collapsed into itself ideologically and structurally, people see Democratic races as a place to invest, to have an impact,” said Shad Murib, the chair of the Colorado Democratic Party.
Colorado turning blue “meant different things to different people,” said Rep. Javier Mabrey, a Denver Democrat and one of the more left-wing state legislators. “For some people that meant mostly maintaining the economic status quo in our state, but being very strongly pro-gay marriage, being for gun control. And then for other people, it meant being very strongly pro-gay marriage, pro-LGBTQ rights, pro-gun control.
“These elections will determine what kind of Democratic Party we will see in Colorado,” SEIU Local 105 chief of staff Andy Jacob said in a statement about labor’s involvement in the race. “We cannot afford to allow corporations and a small handful of wealthy donors to buy our elections and ignore the concerns of working people.
“We’re dedicated to supporting candidates who embody true progressive values and have a proven track record of effectiveness,” said Andrew Short, One Main Street’s executive director. “… Whereas the candidates that we’re opposing have often shown themselves to be ineffective or are more focused on Twitter followers and ideological purity than practical solutions.”But the organization — which says it’s composed of trade unions and business groups — has taken an opaque path to backing its choices.
Because of the breadth of committees involved, it’s difficult to calculate the exact amount spent. Other money in the web — which is linked by common vendors, registered filing agents and donors — has also gone to back Sean Camacho against Epps and Cecelia Espenoza against Hernández. Representatives for A Whole Lot of People for Change did not respond to a request for comment. Short, who at one point was also the registered agent for A Whole Lot of People for Change, said the group was independent of One Main Street.
More than $200,000 in outside money — mostly from A Whole Lot of People For Change — has been dumped into Stewart’s race against Kyra deGruy Kennedy in Lakewood, all in support of Stewart. The seat is currently held by deGruy Kennedy’s husband, Rep. Chris deGruy Kennedy. Rep. Mike Weissman, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for an Aurora state senate seat, right,checks a map while canvassing with Isabela Martinez in Aurora on Thursday, June 20, 2024. The avalanche of dark money in Weissman’s Aurora race is the starkest example of that new reality and of who’s trying to shape the story told to voters. To bolster Weissman, groups tied to labor, conservation and education have spent more than $280,000.
Keith, for his part, said he has “no idea” why so much money would pour into this race. Weissman points to his history at the Capitol and fights for progressive issues as luring it. DeGruy Kennedy and Lindstrom countered that their approach wouldn’t involve taking money from corporate donors or pursuing business interests’ demands — itself an echo of Rep. Mabrey’s point about the tension in the Democratic Party when it comes to economic policy.
Meanwhile, spending in the Arvada Senate race shows how muddled the definitions of “progressive” have become. Nearly $300,000 in outside money has been spent to influence that primary. Much of that comes from A Whole Lot of People For Change, and all of it benefits state Rep. Lindsey Daugherty’s campaign for the Senate.
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