Colorado Voter Guide: 2024 General Election

In just under two weeks, the issue committees battling over most of the 14 statewide ballot issues have collectively raised more than $6.6 million.

The most fundraising between Oct. 10 and Monday is Colorado Voters First, which backs Proposition 131, the open primary/ranked choice voting measure.

Ben Walton, of the Walton family that owns Wal-Mart, donated $1 million on Oct. 18 to the pro-131 committee. That brings his total to $2 million. Through Oct. 9, the committee had already raised $10.8 million.

He’s not the only big donor to the pro-131 committee in the past two weeks. Larry Mizel, who owns MDC Holdings and has been a donor to Republican causes and candidates for years, donated $50,000.

Kimbal Musk of Boulder, a friend of U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper and the brother of Elon Musk, donated $100,000. Patrick Hamill, who owns Oakwood Homes, gave the same amount. Hamill also has contributed to an independent expenditure committee, Coloradans for Housing Affordability, that largely backs Republicans for the state legislature.

The Colorado Chamber of Commerce also has contributed $375,000 in the past two weeks, and primary proponent Kent Thiry added $1 million on Monday, bringing his total to just under $1.5 million.

Since Oct. 10, the pro-131 campaign has brought in another $4 million, bringing their total above $15 million.

Voter Rights Colorado, which opposes Proposition 131, raised another $265,436 since Oct. 10, with the largest donations coming from teachers’ groups, such as the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers and the Colorado Education Association. New Era Colorado, a progressive voter education group, also gave $50,000 on Oct. 21. The committee had only raised $134,000 up until Oct. 9.

Public Schools Strong, the issue committee opposed to Amendment 80, the school choice amendment, comes in second in the last two weeks with $1.13 million raised. Big donors include the National Education Association, at $1 million and the American Federation of Teachers at $100,000. That brings the committee’s total to $4.9 million. 

Colorado Dawn, which is facing a campaign finance complaint for failing to include legally-required disclaimers on text messages, spent $1.2 million to support Amendment 80 between Oct. 12 and Oct. 21, and as reported through the Secretary of State’s 48-hour disclosure form. As a 501(c)(4), the group does not have to report its donors, and the campaign finance complaint was filed against its independent expenditure committee.

The Secretary of State’s Elections Division said on Monday has given the group until Nov. 5 (Election Day) to “remedy” the lack of a disclaimer, although it’s unknown how the group would fix a text message that has already been sent out.

The division also said it initially finds the complaint alleged sufficient facts to support a legal and factual basis regarding the alleged violations. 

Cat’s Aren’t Trophies, which backs Proposition 127, to ban hunting of mountain lions, bobcats and lynxes, raised $366,195 after Oct. 10, including $40,000 from the Wild Animal Sanctuary. That brings the Weld County non-profit’s donations to $965,104, with $950,000 just in the past month. The issue committee has now raised about $3.3 million.

Its opposition, Colorado’s Wildlife Deserve Better, brought in $84,500 during the last two weeks, bringing their total to $1.7 million.

Amendment 79 is the measure to put the right to an abortion in the state constitution. The pro-79 committee Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom, brought in $321,866 in the last two weeks, with the largest donations coming from Cobalt Advocates, a pro-choice group. Kent Thiry, the main backer of Proposition 131, also gave the committee $100,000. The committee has now raised more than $8.5 million.

On the opposing side, Pro-Life Colorado had its best two weeks of fundraising to date, bringing in $220,000, with $175,000 from the Archdiocese of Denver. Prior to Oct. 10, the committee’s fundraising stood at  $155,000.

Between Oct. 11 and Oct. 17, Gov. Jared Polis and his husband, Marlon Reis, gave $2,500 each to All Pets Deserve Vet Care, the pro-Proposition 129 committee that backs the creation of a veterinary professional association degree. Its opposing committee, Keep Our Pets Safe, brought in $11,000, with $10,000 from the Colorado Veterinary Association.

All Pets Deserve Pet Care is now at $1.5 million; Keep Our Pets Safe now stands at $2.45 million.

Editor’s note: updated to include Colorado Chamber contributions to the pro-131 campaign and to clarify the Elections Division’s Oct. 22 decision.