Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City and once presidential aspirant, forked out half a million dollars in contributions to help a candidate from almost 1,800 miles away.

Bloomberg’s goal? Get Mike Johnston, a former state legislator, elected as Denver mayor.

Meanwhile, businessman Pete Coors, the Republican nominee for Colorado’s U.S. Senate seat in 2004, handed over $50,000 to help elect the next mayor. Coors, however, wants the seat to go to Kelly Brough, who once served as mayoral chief of staff.

Bloomberg and Coors are not contributing directly to Johnston or Brough’s campaigns, but instead giving their money to outside entities that have been playing heavily in the mayoral race.    

Tune in to May 31 forum on Denver mayor’s race

These independent expenditure groups, which have so far spent a total of $5.5 million, seek to influence voters’ choice but operate independently from the candidates’ campaigns.

In this analysis, The Denver Gazette sifted through campaign finance filings after April 4, counting contributions for the runoff election. 

The two independent expenditure groups that are spending the most money in the mayor’s race are A Better Denver, which backs Brough, and Advancing Denver, which supports Johnston.

Laws allow them to receive big money from anybody, raising worries that they – or their funders – would hold more sway on whoever sits in the mayor’s seat than ordinary Denver residents.

The candidates reject outright the notion that, once seated, they would be beholden to any individual or entity that spent a lot to get them elected. 

Michael Dino, who served as campaign manager for former mayor Wellington Webb, said independent expenditure groups are the “most convenient way to get huge donations from supportive special interests.”

“Money is the mother’s milk of politics,” Dino said. “I’ve been on all sides of campaigns and sometimes with the winners, and I have only encountered a handful of big donors who didn’t ask for something from or try to influence the winners.”

Bloomberg and Coors aren’t the only big-time contributors hoping to sway the vote.

After April 5 – the day after Brough and Johnston secured the top two spots in the general election – several other big-time funders sent money to Advancing Denver, notably LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who gave over $450,000; former DaVita CEO Kent Thiry, who contributed $150,000; and, hedge fund manager Stephen Mandel, who sent $100,000.

A Better Denver saw far more donations than Advancing Denver – but in smaller amounts. Its contributors included Amacon Management LLC, which gave $25,000; Books and Bags Field Warriors LLC, which contributed $35,000; and Haselden Construction, which forked out $25,000.

In fact, some have been sending significant sums to the independent expenditure groups long before Brough and Johnston moved on to the runoff phase, which means they helped set the stage for the Brough-Johnston contest.  

Fewer funders, bigger money

For Johnston, the money pouring into Advancing Denver is coming from fewer donors but in higher increments, according to an analysis of campaign finance data from April 5 to May 30. 

For Brough, A Better Denver is getting funds from more funders with smaller contributions.   

Here’s the breakdown: 

• A Better Denver saw 149 contributions in that timeframe, with the money adding up to $381,800.

• Advancing Denver received 100 fewer contributions in the same time span, but the 49 times it did translated to $1,649,163.70.

• A Better Denver’s smallest amount was $25, compared to Advancing Denver’s smallest contribution of $403.69.

• Forty-three of A Better Denver’s contributions came in $100 donations, whereas Advancing Denver’s next highest funding amount was $1,000.

• Advancing Denver’s biggest funder was Bloomberg at $500,000. (Counting all contributions, including before April 4, Hoffman gave the most at $1,355,176.)

• A Better Denver’s largest contribution was $50,000 from Coors. 

Brough’s supporters who gave to A Better Denver are largely Denver-area residents, with only three of 149 contributors from states other than Colorado. Those backers came from Arizona, Ohio and Virginia.

Johnston, too, also had a significant number of Denver locals contributing to Advancing Denver, but many also came from other places. 

Advancing Denver received four contributions from one funder in California, six contributions from three people in New York, two funders from Texas, two contributors from D.C., one from Connecticut and the remaining 34 from Colorado. 

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No ‘vested interest’ in city affairs 

Jordan Fuja, Mike Johnston’s campaign spokesperson, said people who gave to Advancing Denver are long-time progressive contributors who regularly give to candidates who reflect their values. 

Fuja said many of the donors have worked with Johnston in the past on issues, such as passing Proposition 123, a statewide ballot measure that allocates surplus state revenue under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights to a variety of affordable housing initiatives, and advancing legislation that grants in-state tuition to students who aren’t in the country legally.

When asked, Fuja did not specifically say how Johnston is exactly connected to the major contributors to the outside group seeking to put him in the mayor’s seat. 

Johnston has received more than 4,000 donations from Denver residents, and he “is proud to have the lowest average donation in the race for Denver mayor,” she said. 

“Unlike donors to Kelly Brough’s PAC, the vast majority of people donating to Advancing Denver do not have business in front of the city and have no vested interest in what the next mayor can do for them,” Fuja said. “Instead, they want to see Denver become a proof-point for the rest of the nation in how to successfully run a progressive city that takes on tough challenges.”

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99% from Colorado 

Nico Delgado, Brough’s campaign spokesperson, said the large number of individuals and groups from Colorado supporting Brough show that “they understand Denver is at a crossroads and they want a mayor who can effectively tackle our pressing challenges on Day 1.”

The campaign shared its breakdown of the independent expenditure contributions that shows 99% of the individuals who gave are from Colorado, and 65% of the total amount came from individuals and groups from the state.

Delgado said while Brough’s campaign has not talked with the contributors about why they gave to A Better Denver, the campaign assumes people contributed because Brough has demonstrated that she is the most qualified candidate. 

Delgado, too, did not clarify exactly how Brough is connected with Coors or other big-name donors, but he said she is well-connected with Denver’s business community, having worked in the city for more than 30 years and holding high profile positions.

“People know of and respect her track record of success,” Delgado said. “They’re eager for her to bring that experience to the mayor’s office and get after the hard work that lies ahead to restore the promise of Denver.”

Dino, the strategist, said Fair Election Fund rules pushed larger and corporate contributions directly away from the candidates, so that’s a “small part” as to why outside groups are spending big money in this year’s race.  

But whether the Fair Election Fund exists, the city would have seen the independent expenditure groups in this election “no matter what.”

“I think the IEs are playing for the short term to see their candidate get elected and pursue their respective platforms,” he said.