A campaign‑finance complaint alleging that U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s Senate committee improperly paid for travel tied to his gubernatorial bid won’t get a public hearing until after the June 30 primary, following months of delays and a late‑May amended filing by the Elections Division.

Four complaints have been filed against the Bennet campaign by Alyssa Halladay, whose political affiliation is unknown. 

The first, tied to the alleged illegal spending, was on Sept. 24, 2025, but the investigation by the Elections Division of the Secretary of State’s office wasn’t started until March 31, 2026, more than six months later.

That complaint was consolidated with a second one filed on Nov. 4. 

The Elections Division joined the September 2025 complaint in April. On May 1, the hearing officer ordered the Bennet campaign to respond by June 1, with a hearing set for June 16, two weeks before the primary.

The Bennet campaign asked to postpone the hearing until after the primary, citing a scheduling conflict that would push the date from June 30 to July 16.

On May 15, the hearing officer denied the request. “The reason offered is the suggestion of a conflict articulated in passive voice—‘a scheduling conflict on June 16, 2026 that cannot be avoided’—followed by the assertion that ‘good cause exists for a continuance of the trial and the resetting of the case deadlines.’ I disagree,” wrote hearing officer Macon Cowles.

The motion “seeks to avoid even an Answer to the Complaint until after the primary election,” Cowles wrote.

He said Colorado’s campaign finance laws weren’t created to accommodate the parties in this case, but to give voters transparency about how money is used in politics. That purpose, he noted, becomes even more important as an election approaches, when the public is paying closest attention — making timely resolution of alleged violations essential.

Cowles issued another order on May 26, telling the parties his earlier ruling “was crystal clear” in response to a request that he reconsider it.

But three days later, he reversed course based on new information and set a new hearing date for July 26. The reason: the complainant — now the Elections Division — had filed an amended complaint, resetting the timeline for the Bennet campaign to submit its responses.

The amended complaint noted that after Halladay filed the complaint, the senator’s gubernatorial campaign reviewed Bennet’s travel spending for the second and third quarters of 2025 and determined that certain travel expenses related to the campaign were “improperly paid by the Senate Committee.” Those expenses, for $17,386.94 and $7,053.65, were repaid to the Senate committee in September. 

“Given the extent of their noncompliance and their delay in reporting expenditures, however, the Division determined that Respondents failed to substantially comply with their legal obligations under Colorado campaign finance law,” the May 29 amended complaint noted. 

Jordan Fuja, a spokesperson for the Bennet campaign, told The Colorado Sun in its Oct. 24, 2025, Unaffiliated newsletter that “Bennet planned to wind down his federal campaign activity.”

Fuja said that as Bennet’s gubernatorial campaign ramped up and his Senate campaign became less active, staff worked to scale back — and in some cases stop — spending on Senate‑related activities and shift appropriate work and expenses to the Bennet for governor campaign.

That’s what led to the November complaint. “While it’s unknown exactly what those ‘expenses’ or ‘activities’ may be that were ‘transitioned’ from Bennet’s Senate Reelection campaign to his gubernatorial campaign, any such transfer is illegal,” the original Nov. 4 complaint maintained. 

The complaint argued that the campaign’s statement was meant to reassure the public that one campaign wasn’t improperly subsidizing the other. But, it said, the statement to The Colorado Sun suggested the opposite — that the gubernatorial campaign had taken on expenses from Bennet’s Senate reelection effort. In doing so, the complaint claimed, the Bennet for Governor campaign effectively acknowledged a violation of Colorado law.

The Bennet campaign has not yet responded to Colorado Politics’ request for comment on the November complaint, ED2025‑103.

Two other complaints, filed Dec. 9, 2025, and Feb. 25, 2026, have been dismissed.

The Feb. 25 complaint alleged illegal coordination among four committees: Bennet’s gubernatorial campaign; his U.S. Senate committee, Bennet for Colorado; a federal PAC, Common Sense Colorado, which the complaint claims Bennet controls; and Rocky Mountain Way, a Colorado independent expenditure committee that has spent millions — including contributions from former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg — to support Bennet’s run for governor.

The complaint alleged coordination based on the fact that three of the four committees used the same consultants. The Elections Division, however, said that was insufficient to prove coordination and dismissed the complaint in March.

The Dec. 9 complaint was tied to a Bennet appearance on Instagram. As reported by Colorado Public Radio, the Bennet campaign was not charged for the interview and posting, which included a conversation about Bennet choosing his successor in the U.S. Senate and the gubernatorial campaign.

When the Weiser for Governor campaign asked for the same opportunity, the influencer, Katie Grossbard, told the campaign they’d have to pay for it. 

The complaint called the Bennet posting a non-monetary in-kind contribution to the Bennet campaign, valued at $2,000. But the Elections Division said there was insufficient evidence to prove the allegation and dismissed it in April.