Democrat Jena Griswold banks more than $1.1 million in bid for re-election as secretary of state
Griswold, who is seeking a second term in next year’s election, has yet to draw a Republican challenger.
The quarterly haul brings the Democrat’s total fundraising for the cycle to more than $1.3 million. She plans to report more than $1.1 million cash on hand at the end of the period, which concluded on Sept. 30 — more than she spent unseating a Republican incumbent in 2018.
“Voting rights across the country are under attack and we need strong leaders to stand against these blatant acts of voter suppression,” said Griswold in a statement. “I’m dedicated to continuing to expand access to the democratic process for all eligible Coloradans. I will always fight back against attacks on democracy as Secretary of State.”
A campaign spokesman said Griswold plans to report she received donations from 2,500 individuals this quarter, with 89% of them listing Colorado addresses.
Campaign finance reports covering the quarter are due by midnight Friday.
The attorney defeated Republican Wayne Williams by 8 points in 2018, becoming the first Democrat to win the office since 1960. (Democrat Bernie Buescher filled the seat by appointment for two years from 2009-2011 but lost a bid for election to a full term to Williams’ predecessor.)
In the same 2018 election, Democrats won every statewide office in Colorado and expanded their majorities in the General Assembly, giving the party complete control of state government for the first time since the 1930s.
Former Mesa County Commissioner Rose Pugliese announced a month ago that she won’t be challenging Griswold in 2022 after spending months moving toward launching a campaign.
Campaigns for Colorado’s secretary of state haven’t attracted heavy spending over the years, but Griswold has found herself at the center of a raging controversy over unfounded allegations by supporters of former President Donald Trump that the 2020 election was rigged.
On Wednesday, a district court judge in Mesa County sided with Griswold in a lawsuit seeking to prevent the Western Slope county’s elected clerk and recorder from overseeing the 2021 off-year election amid allegations the clerk, Republican Tina Peters, helped facilitate a massive data breach involving the county’s election system.
Judge forbids Tina Peters from having role in upcoming Mesa County election
Peters, who has said she plans to appeal the decision, maintains she has been working to expose election fraud.
Tina Peters slams 'power grab,' says she'll appeal Mesa County court ruling
The judge also confirmed that Williams can continue running the county’s election after Griswold and Mesa County’s Republican county commissioners tapped him to fill the role earlier this summer.
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