The committee backing the ballot measure seeking to expand liquor licenses this week was the recipient of a $4.6 million donation, the largest campaign contribution given to an issue committee in Colorado this election cycle.

It’s also the sixth largest in state history, according to TRACER, the state’s campaign finance database.

The money came from U.S. Rep. David Trone, D-Maryland, and his brother, Robert, through their company, Colorado Fine Wine & Spirits LLC. The company owns three Total Wines locations in the state.

The ballot measure the Trones are backing asks voters to allow retail liquor license owners to hold more liquor licenses than currently allowed under state law.

The limit now is capped at three, the number of Total Wine locations currently operating on the Front Range. Under Prop 124, the number of allowable licenses would jump to eight through 2026, before gradually increasing to an unlimited number by 2037.

The committee has now raised $12.5 million in cash and non-monetary contributions, with $10.7 million coming from Colorado Fine Wine & Spirits. The latest contributions have already made the state’s top ten list for big dollar contributions to an issue committee, with a $3.5 million contribution to the Proposition 124 committee a month ago.

Total Wine is the nation’s largest alcohol-specific retailer, with more than $5 billion in sales in 2021 in 22 states.

The company is also battling against a measure on the November ballot in Massachusetts that deals with liquor license expansion, but one that places limitations on the number of licenses held by larger retailers. The company has put $2.1 million into the fight against Question 3. The Boston Globe reported Tuesday it was the most that a company has spent to directly influence a ballot question, rather than working through an opposition committee, in the past ten years.

While the company’s latest contribution to the Colorado committee backing Prop 124 is the largest by far to an issue committee this year, it’s not even close to the record.

That was set in 2016 by Altria , which gave $12.4 million to the campaign to defeat Amendment 72. That measure would have hiked taxes on tobacco products by $315.7 million annually, with the revenue spent on a variety of health-related initiatives.

Altria holds the top four spots on the state’s list of biggest issue committee contributions. The company’s single largest contribution was $6.2 million, they also gave a $5 million contribution to the committee No on 72. Altria was the only contributor to the anti-72 committee.

The measure lost on a vote of 53% against to 47% in favor. 

Rounding out the top five was a $4.7 million in 2014 from Monsanto to fight Proposition 105, which would have labeled genetically modified foods as such. That measure lost by more than 30 percentage points.