Get ready for lots of campaign ads on housing, liquor and “magic mushrooms” in the next 90 days because that’s where the big money will likely be spent in the November election.

As of Monday, two ballot measures have qualified for the general election and another four are under signature review by the Secretary of State’s elections division. The office has 30 days to complete that review. 

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Three of the four under review all deal with alcohol in one form or another, and the liquor industry has already raised $6.4 million, mostly just to get through the petition phase.

Initiative #31, which would lower the state’s income tax rate, and Initiative #58, which would allow regulated entities, including healing centers and facilitators, to provide so-called “magic mushrooms” have made it to the ballot so far.  

The latter is also known as the “natural medicine” measure. 

Initiative #31 is backed by the Independence Institute’s Jon Caldara and state Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling. This would be their second try at an income tax reduction. The duo succeeded in persuading voters to reduce the state income tax rate in 2020. They raised almost $600,000, most of it in contributions from conservative organizations that don’t disclose their donors, for the 2020 effort. So far, the Independence Institute has kicked in $1,000.

The committee Natural Medicine Colorado, which is behind Initiative #58, has so far raised $2.766 million, almost all of it from the New Approach PAC of Washington, D.C., a pro-marijuana group. Among its biggest funders is Sean Parker of California, a billionaire who founded Napstar and was briefly president of Facebook. Parker primarily funds cancer research and, through his foundation, life sciences, global public health, and civic engagement initiatives. New Approach is run by Graham Boyd, a founding director of the national ACLU’s Drug Law Reform Project.

New Approach kicked in $250,000 in 2020 for the paid family leave initiative, its first foray into Colorado.

The four ballot measures under review are the following: 

Initiative #96 would allow retail liquor stores to add more licenses and locations. The committee backing the measure is Coloradans for Consumer Choice and Retail Fairness, and the biggest funders are two brothers, Robert and David Trone of Maryland. David Trone is U.S. Rep. David Trone, a Democrat. The brothers own Total Wine & More, which has two outlets in the Denver metro area. The Trones, along with a Total Wine affiliate, Colorado Fine Wine & Spirits, LLC have so far contributed $2.22 million, with all but $200,000 spent to collect petition signatures.

Initiatives #121 & 122 are backed by Wine in Grocery Stores; the former would allow for wine sales in grocery stores, the latter would allow third party delivery of alcohol. The committee behind them has raised nearly $4 million to collect signatures and it has $2.7 million on hand heading into the fall campaign season. The biggest backer is the delivery service DoorDash, which has so far contributed $3.29 million for the measures.

One issue committee, Keep Colorado Local, is opposed to the three alcohol-related measures and has raised $226,467 through July 27. Its biggest funders is the Colorado Licensed Beverage Association, along with several local liquor stores.

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The last measure awaiting signature review is Initiatives #108, which would ask voters to divert 0.1% from income tax revenue in the general fund to an affordable housing fund. That would generate $270 million per year, beginning in 2023-24.

Gary Ventures, also known as Gary Community Ventures, is the measure’s biggest backer, with $2 million in contributions so far. The nonprofit foundation was started by Sam Gary of Gary-Williams Energy. Gary Community Ventures has poured almost $9 million into mostly-progressive ballot measures during the last decade. State Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver, currently leads the nonprofit.