Targeted Legislative Race Fundraising Wrap-Up

(Donkey Hotey Image)

DENVER, CO — Here at The Colorado Observer we are adding a new feature to our coverage of state legislative races.

On a regular basis we rank the top 10 most competitive state legislative races, based on interviews with operatives, elected officials and others in the know. To complement that coverage, we will be publishing the fundraising totals of the races that have made the top 10 list at some point. (See our first two rankings here & here).

The most recent fundraising period covers January 26-May 2, 2012. Due to the period occurring during the legislative session, lobbyists were forbidden from donating to legislative candidates. As incumbents generally raise the most from lobbyists, they were most likely to have the ban affect their fundraising totals.

There was quite a stark difference in fundraising totals, with HD3 Republican candidate Brian Watson taking the top spot with $59,285 raised since January for his campaign against incumbent Rep. Daniel Kagan (D-Denver), who raised $23,280. Incumbent HD35 Rep. Cherylin Peniston (D-Westminster) raised the least of all candidates reporting, generating only $2,005 for her campaign against Republican Brian Vande Krol, who raised $16,908.

As targeted legislative races tend to see outside groups spending more than the candidates themselves, these fundraising numbers don’t tell the whole picture of campaign finance, but they do provide some objective measures to analyze a campaign’s success at generating support.

HD3: Brian Watson (GOP) vs. Rep. Daniel Kagan (DEM)

Watson: Raised (Total): $66,134 / Raised (This Period): $59,285 / Cash On Hand: $26,138

Kagan: Raised (Total): $55,663 / Raised (This Period): $23,280 / Cash On Hand: $35,405

HD33: Dave Pigott (GOP) vs. Former Rep. Diane Primavera (DEM)

Pigott: Raised (Total): $11,895 / Raised (This Period): $4,963 / Cash On Hand: $10,027

Primavera: Raised (Total): $43,148 / Raised (This Period): $26,440 / Cash On Hand: $29,807

HD19: Majority Leader Amy Stephens (GOP) vs. Rep. Marsha Looper (GOP)

Stephens: Raised (Total): $64,172 / Raised (This Period): $14,962 / Cash On Hand: $8,180

Looper: Raised (Total): $42,077 / Raised (This Period): $37,430 / Cash On Hand: $669

*Looper has loaned her campaign $8,000 ($1,000 has been repaid)

HD28: Amy Attwood (GOP) vs. Brittany Pettersen (DEM)

Attwood: Raised (Total): $27,460 / Raised (This Period): $13,850 / Cash On Hand: $22,765

Pettersen: Raised (Total): $13,245 / Raised (This Period): $13,245 / Cash On Hand: $10,021

SD22: Rep. Ken Summers (GOP) vs. Rep. Andy Kerr (DEM)

Summers: Raised (Total): $61,509 / Raised (This Period): $7,735 / Cash On Hand: $60,943

Kerr: Raised (Total): $42,833 / Raised (This Period): $16,180 / Cash On Hand: $29,776

HD40: Rep. Cindy Acree (GOP) vs. John Buckner (DEM)

Acree: Raised (Total): $0 / Raised (This Period): $0 / Cash On Hand: $0 (*Acree’s report was not available on the Secretary of State’s website. An email to the Acree campaign was not returned)

Buckner: Raised (Total): $5,045 / Raised (This Period): $5,045 / Cash On Hand: $4,898

SD19: Lang Sias (GOP) vs. Sen. Evie Hudak (DEM)

Sias: Raised (Total): $23,779 / Raised (This Period): $23,679 / Cash On Hand: $21,641

Hudak: Raised (Total): $70,184 / Raised (This Period): $11,498 / Cash On Hand: $52,784

HD18 Jennifer George (GOP) vs. Rep. Pete Lee (DEM)

George: Raised (Total): $56,118/ Raised (This Period): $38,198 / Cash On Hand: $42,133

Lee: Raised (Total): $39,290 / Raised (This Period): $8,437 / Cash On Hand: $40,504

HD50 Arthur “Skip” Carlson vs. Rep. David Young (DEM)

Carlson: Raised (Total): $0 / Raised (This Period): $0 / Cash On Hand: $0 (*SOS reports no fundraising to date)

Young: Raised (Total): $26,694 / Raised (This Period): $4,582/ Cash On Hand: $28,342

*Young has loaned his campaign $5,000

SD26: Dave Kerber (GOP) vs. Sen. Linda Newell (DEM)

Kerber: Raised (Total): $25,835 / Raised (This Period): $24,309 / Cash On Hand: $29,060

Newell: Raised (Total): $75,623 / Raised (This Period): $4,585 / Cash On Hand: $24,630

*Kerber has loaned $15,000 to his campaign

HD35 Brian Vande Krol (GOP) vs. Rep. Cherylin Peniston (DEM)

Vande Krol: Raised (Total): $21,106 / Raised (This Period): $16,908 / Cash On Hand: $13,309

Peniston: Raised (Total): $16,450 / Raised (This Period): $2,005 / Cash On Hand: $19,198

HD29: Rep. Robert Ramirez (GOP) vs. Tracy Kraft-Tharp (DEM)

Ramirez: Raised (Total): $24,249 / Raised (This Period): $6,169 / Cash On Hand: $10,090

Kraft-Tharp: Raised (Total): $34,480 / Raised (This Period): $11,724 / Cash On Hand: $22,981

HD23: Rick Enstrom (GOP) vs. Rep. Max Tyler (DEM)

Enstrom: Raised (Total): $28,462 / Raised (This Period): $28,462 / Cash On Hand: $28,074

Tyler: Raised (Total): $24,905 / Raised (This Period): $2,380 / Cash On Hand: $17,493

*Enstrom has loaned his campaign $5,000