{"id":1572,"date":"2026-06-13T21:33:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T21:33:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1572"},"modified":"2026-06-13T21:33:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T21:33:25","slug":"want-to-know-whos-paying-for-legislative-campaign-flyers-filling-denver-mailboxes-good-luck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1572","title":{"rendered":"Want to know who\u2019s paying for legislative campaign flyers filling Denver mailboxes? Good luck."},"content":{"rendered":"
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Another Democratic primary in Colorado. Another wave of campaign mailers and attack ads that frequently, as far as the public can tell, emerged from a black hole.<\/p>\n

Read more Xcel Energy still facing pushback after cutting electric rate hike request<\/a><\/p>\n

The new glut of spending in state legislative races had already soared past $1.4 million as of early June and will almost certainly increase in dramatic fashion before voting ends in the June 30 primary. The arms race \u2014 and spending race \u2014 is the latest in an ongoing conflict between outside groups backed primarily by business interests, who prefer more moderate Democrats, and the state\u2019s largest unions, which have spent to support more progressive candidates.<\/p>\n

The money battle follows a 2024 primary in which outside groups spent $5 million to influence the Democratic races. It\u2019s part of a broader tug-of-war for control over Colorado\u2019s dominant political party, which has grown into near-supermajority control of the state legislature.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s spending is likely to focus on a handful of safe Democratic seats in and around metro Denver. As outside spending has grown in recent years, it has turned some of the safest blue seats in Colorado \u2014 like those in Denver \u2014 into some of the most expensive contests in the state.<\/p>\n

As of Friday, a labor coalition had spent more than $570,000 since May 1 to help more-liberal candidates, while several competing interconnected spending committees had spent nearly double that to help moderates. Six PACS on the moderate side had already raised $769,000, all from two outside dark money groups that disclose few, if any, of their donors.<\/p>\n

Most of the money, nearly $500,000, has come from a group called \u201cFair Economy for Coloradans,\u201d which has no publicly disclosed donors. It was created in January by Scott Martinez, Denver\u2019s former city attorney. Martinez did not return an email seeking comment.<\/p>\n

The rest of the cash comes directly from One Main Street, a prominent financial player in Democratic primaries that favors business-friendly candidates over more progressive challengers.<\/p>\n

All six political action committees were registered by Jimmy Dickson, who previously managed two state lawmakers\u2019 campaigns, including that of then-Rep. Shannon Bird, who\u2019s now running for Congress. Bird co-founded the Colorado Opportunity Caucus, a group of business-friendly Democratic lawmakers that\u2019s been financially supported by One Main Street. Dickson, who lives in Durango, did not return a message seeking comment.<\/p>\n

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Martinez is also the registered agent for the Opportunity Caucus and has served as the caucus\u2019s attorney. An email sent to Sen. Lindsey Daugherty, the co-chair of the caucus, and a caucus spokeswoman was not returned.<\/p>\n

The six groups backed by One Main Street and Fair Economy \u2014 which, despite their financial backers, often seized on the term progressive \u2014 are:<\/p>\n