MAY 2018 | 5280 | (^97)
This spread, clockwise from left: iStock (2); Rowena Naylor/Stocksy; RJ Sangosti/the
Denver Post
via Getty Images
NAME GAMES
END GAME
After the June 26 primaries finally
whittle the candidate list down,
don’t expect to get a break
from politics before November.
“There’s so much on the ballot,”
says CU Denver’s Paul Teske,
pointing to other statewide
races, yet-to-be-determined
ballot initiatives, and the fact that
much of the state Legislature is in
play. “It means that any one race
gets less attention than if it were standalone.” And if your
favorite candidate doesn’t win the primary, don’t fret: This
won’t be the last election cycle you will see some of these
faces. “This is about getting the bench ready for down
the run,” CSU’s Kyle Saunders says. As for who will win?
Personality is still what matters. Even if the math shows
that a candidate can win without ever leaving the Front
Range, that single-minded approach won’t work when the
victor has to get to work. “Turnout determines everything,”
Saunders says. “If you can get your voters out, you can
appeal to the electorate and resonate with them.” m
reference to “the coveted top
line” on the primary ballot, which
candidates earn by winning
out at state assemblies. But
candidates and smart campaign
managers increasingly recognize
this as “old-think” (and not even
particularly applicable in the first
place) and are petitioning onto
the primary ballot to avoid the
risk exposure and brain damage
caused by caucusing.
OLD WAY: Pueblo was a big deal
for Democrats. Much of the
Western Slope and Eastern Plains
provided Republicans with their
leg up.
NEW WAY: Candidates will still trek
to all corners of the state for the
requisite photo ops. But when
votes are tallied, these smaller
enclaves, unfortunately, matter
less and less. Show me who
wins in Jefferson and Arapahoe
counties, and I’ll show you
Colorado’s next governor.
Life after the primary.
ON WINNING
“You need every
vote you can get.
You’ve got to
put your atten-
tion on the Front
Range, but I
think it is suicide
to simply ignore
the Eastern
Plains and the
Western Slope.”
—John Straayer, professor
of political science, CSU
RAISING COLORADO
Created: June 2014
Purpose: “To support
candidates in state and county
races who advocate for high-
quality public education
through uncoordinated,
independent expenditures.”
Funds: $110,868
STRONGER COLORADO AHEAD
Created: November 2017
Purpose: “To support
Republican candidates
for governor.”
Funds: $157,70 0
COLORADO REPUBLICAN
COMMITTEE INDEPENDENT
EXPENDITURE COMMITTEE
Created: May 2014
Purpose: “To accept
funds in any amount from
any source permissible
under state law and make
independent expenditures
to support Republican
candidates and influence
or attempt to influence
the election of Republican
candidates to state and
local public office.”
Funds: $593,119
BLUEFLOWER ACTION
Created: July 2015
Purpose: “To elect
Democratic women
candidates who are
progressive and pro-
choice and who are
running for state or
local office.”
Funds: $117,537
FRONTIER FAIRNESS PAC
Created: June 2017
Purpose: “The purpose of Frontier
Fairness PAC is to support or oppose
one or more candidate(s) for state
office, including gubernatorial
candidates, in the state of Colorado
in a manner not controlled by or
coordinated with any candidate or
agent of a candidate.”
Funds: $257,101
BETTER COLORADO NOW
Created: April 2017
Purpose: “To oppose
Democrat candidates for
governor and support
Walker Stapleton for
governor.”
Funds: $737,688
The titles seem similar, but these independent expenditure
committees have very different, and often vague, purposes.
INSIDE THE 2018 GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION
Source: Colorado Secretary of State,
as of December and January filings
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